I'll Find Your Heart
by SakuraDrops93
Summary: The famous Winter Ball is coming up. All of Tinkerbell's friends got dates but her. She later struggles with her confused feelings for a certain dust-talent fairy, but will it be too late by the time she clears things up? First Tinkerbell fic, R&R Plz.
1. Chapter 1

"Woohoo!" The joyous cheer echoed throughout the pond, causing familiar heads to turn towards its owner's way. She was a spirited young fairy with a long braid trailing behind her. "You guys!" she called to the other fairies ahead.

"Fawn!" the other three responded and flew over to the tree she had perched on.

Fawn urged them to huddle. "Guess who asked me to the Winter Ball?" she flapped her wings excitedly. "C'mon, guess!"

"Oh, is it that water fairy you keep noticing and pointing out every time you visit me?" a gentle-toned fairy by the name of Silvermist giggled. "Um…Cobalt was his name I believe?"

Fawn shook her head furiously. "No, not him."

A vibrant fairy by the name of Rosetta with a country accent gasped. "Don't tell me…" But seeing her friend's excited smile only confirmed her idea. "Oh, doodler-doodads! It is!?"

"Who?" Silvermist tilted her head to the side.

Rosetta turned to her, now hovering above the ground and eyes wide with excitement. "Seth asked Fawn to the Winter Ball!"

The dark-skinned fairy began fluttering her wings as well. "THE Seth!?" she puffed.

"Yes, Iridessa, THE Seth!" Fawn circled around her. "He's good with animals just like me! And he's so eccentric-"

"Not to mention good-looking," Rosetta cut in with a sly smile.

Fawn blushed. "Y-yeah…that, too," she mumbled shyly. "Oh, I'm just so happy! I think we're destined spirits."

Silvermist placed a hand on Fawn's shoulder. "Congratulations, Fawn," she tuned.

"So now…" Iridessa pointed as she spoke. "I'm with Luminas, Silvermist's with Glace, Rosetta's with Cosmo, and Fawn with Seth. We've all got dates!"

"Not exactly, hun…" Rosetta shook her head uncertainly.

Iridessa rolled her eyes and laughed. "Rosetta, if you're talking about Tinkerbell, I think it's pretty OBVIOUS as to whom she's going with." She led the girls over to a lower branch and pointed to the sight below. "See for yourselves." They all peered down and smirked.

"Of course," Fawn snickered. "Him."

"Those two were meant to be," Silvermist added dreamily, batting her long eyelashes.

Rosetta fixed her hair and placed a hand on her cheek. "You can definitely say that again," she complimented the dark-haired fairy.

Silvermist complied. "Those two were meant to be."

The fairies giggled simultaneously.

* * *

Below the tree, a few yards away, was Tinkerbell's house/workshop. A certain male fairy with light-blond hair and sapphire eyes flew to her door and softly knocked on it. "Hey, Tink," he whispered. "Got a minute?"

The door opened and on the other side was Tinkerbell, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She stretched and emitted a heavy yawn, scattering golden dust all about.

"Wh-oa," her companion laughed, dusting himself clean. "Someone's been working late. It's almost noon you know. I'm already off my shift and you're STILL in bed." He removed some strands of fair bangs from her half-closed eyes. "There."

Tinkerbell smiled and giggled. "Hi, Terence," she greeted lethargically and invited him inside.

Terence floated himself in and sat on a chair. He looked around. Screws and springs were everywhere, dust and crumbs all over the floor, and the spiral stairs were decorated with her green dresses. He chuckled in amusement. _This tinker hasn't changed a bit. Her place is still a total mess._

Tinkerbell prepared the tea and gave him his cup. "Excuse the mess," she told him, taking a sip. "I haven't had time to clean lately. Ugh, I feel awful!"

"Why would you?" Terence rose an eyebrow. "No sleep?"

"Well…that…AND that I'm suppose to know how to clean up after myself!" Tinkerbell smacked herself on the head. "I'm a total failure!"

Terence couldn't help but smile. _There she goes- overreacting again. _"Don't worry so much, Tink," he soothed and placed his cup on the table. He flew to the dust pan and broom and began to work. "I'll do this for you."

Tinkerbell flew towards him, fussing in embarrassment. "No, Terence, I can't have you do that! It's not right. You're a guest a-and…"

"Don't mind doing this," Terence finished for her. "Really. You just focus on getting the projects Fairy Mary assigned you done. You know how upset she can be when tasks and assignments are left unfinished."

Tinkerbell pouted apologetically. "…you really don't mind?" she asked.

"Positive."

That brought a bright smile to Tinkerbell's face. "Oh, thank you so much!" she squealed, hugging him tightly. "You're the best, Terence."

Terence grinned and hugged her back, laughing softly. "Yeah, I know," he replied.

Tinkerbell pulled away and glided to her desk. "W-well then I best get work," she stammered. "After all, this…err…project is due this evening. Heh. Don't wanna get Fairy Mary all riled up now."

Terence nodded. "…yeah. Better finish up." He watched as the young tinker took her seat and immediately went to work on some unknown contraption. "Hey."

"Hm?" Tinkerbell looked up at him with curious azure eyes.

Terence paused for a bit before shaking his head. "No, never mind," he mumbled. "Sorry about that."

_He sure is acting strange? _"It's alright," Tinkerbell assured him and resumed working. But for some reason, her gaze shifted to the dust-talented fairy, acutely following his movements. For the next 2-3 minutes, she stayed like that, unable to look away. _C'mon, Tinkerbell. You've gotta work! Don't let all HIS hard work go to waste._

Terence felt a stare and looked back at her. "…?"

Tinkerbell quickly looked away, trying her best not to blush. Unfortunately, a bright red tint was visible on her cheeks as her emotions were blatant as usual. _Oh no, oh no… _

Terence noticed this and approached her. "Hey, Tink, you're getting all red," he pointed out. "Are you angry? Um, should I leave?"

_Angry? No, I'm not. So why AM I turning red? _"Uh…no, I-I'm NOT angry or anything," she quickly answered, trying desperately to hide her face behind her unfinished invention.

"Then why are you so red?"

"It's um…probably the heat. Ah, yes! It's the heat! Phew, it's really, REALLY hot in here. Someone open the window."

_Hot? _Terence looked at her with immense disbelief. "Tink, you can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "It's like…around 60 degrees outside and its gusty! That is definitely not hot."

"Hey!" Tinkerbell snapped. "I am extremely sensitive to weather changes. And right now, for me, it is very hot. If it gets any hotter, I will definitely faint. So please, sir, do open that window thus relieving me of this agony."

Terence rolled his eyes and mockingly bowed. "As my fair princess wishes," he hummed and opened the windows. He braced himself as the cold wind rushed in, nearly blowing him out of balance.

Tinkerbell shivered as the wind struck her delicate skin. _'My fair princess.' _The words echoed inside her mind like a chant. Much to her dismay, she could not ask him about it due to the fact she was busy trying to warm herself. Heat ran through her body when she felt something warm placed on her shoulders. She turned and found Terence floating behind her.

"You're a terrible liar," he said with a smirk.

"…" Tinkerbell grasped his khaki vest tightly, eyes fallen downcast in shame. "I'm sorry."

Terence gave her a placid pat on the head. "Don't be."

"OH, MY!"

Terence and Tinkerbell turned towards the door, eyes wide in surprise. There stood a beautiful fairy with long, flowing brown hair and auburn eyes conveying displeasure. She had on a ginger mini dress and yellow flats with peach ribbons to compliment her long legs.

"Stella," Terence acknowledged.

Tinkerbell furrowed her brows. "Stella?" she repeated distastefully.

"She's a new worker at the depot," Terence explained. "Pretty popular with the guys, not to mention…"

Tinkerbell felt something sour grow within her. "You included?" she mumbled.

Terence looked at her and could see some sort of pain in her eyes. He could not really recognize what kind, but it did not matter. "No way," he winked. "She's not my type."

The sour feeling was slightly ameliorated. "…I see," Tinkerbell nodded.

"Terence," the brunette beauty tweeted and flew over to him, completely ignoring the baffled tinker. She took his hand and began pulling him towards the door. "Come with me to the depot!"

"What for?" Terence asked, a bit irritated at her rudeness.

"I need to talk to Fairy Gary about my position for tomorrow," Stella reasoned.

"Then why not talk to him yourself?"

"Because I'm kind of scared…" She tightened her hold and placed her head on his shoulder. "Please, Terence?"

Tinkerbell's golden glow quickly changed into a red one to match the color of her face. _Why that little- She's all over him! _She was about to explode when Terence spoke in her place.

"Alright," he sighed in aggravation. "Just…please; can you let go of me?"

Stella blushed and giggled, pulling away. "Sorry…"

Terence turned to Tinkerbell. "Sorry, Tink," he groaned. "Depot business we've gotta take care of. I'll catch ya later, okay? Good luck on that project!" He exited the house with Stella and off they flew towards the depot.

Infuriated, Tinkerbell stomped over to the windows and closed them. She then slammed the door shut and let out a frustrated scream. "I can't believe her- ignoring me like that!" She kicked a box over. "Just who does that 'Stella' think she IS!?"

A lone screw rolled her way.

Tinkerbell calmed herself down and removed Terence's vest from her body. "And the way she clung onto him…" she trailed off. _Why do I get this horrible feeling just thinking about it? _


	2. Chapter 2

That evening, Tinkerbell flew herself over to Fairy Mary's workshop and knocked on her door. The plump tinker fairy opened it with a bright smile, clipboard right at hand. "Ah, Tinkerbell!" she exclaimed. "Fancy seeing you here. Is the 'cart-speeder' all finished?"

"It sure is," Tinkerbell replied proudly and held out the device.

"Ah, good," said Fairy Mary, taking it into her arms. "We tinkers really appreciate you doing this for us, Tinkerbell. You don't know just how much help this will be to our delivery tinkers. Not to mention the depot may be able to use it as well. You never know! Oh!" She chuckled with glee and began heading back in. "Well, ha-" She paused, finding a small, dainty hand on her shoulder. "Oh, what's the matter, dear?"

"Fairy Mary..." Tinkerbell started, but then faltered. "N-never mind."

Fairy Mary was disgruntled at this. "C'mon, dear, spit it out. What is it?"

_Ugh, this is such an embarrassing question. _Tinkerbell tried to fix her bangs, but they just fell on her face again. "Fairy Mary," she continued with a tired sigh. "Am...am I...pretty?"

This caught Fairy Mary off guard by quite a tad for she nearly dropped the cart-speeder upon hearing that question. Her little wings fluttered to keep her from falling. "Wh-wh-WHAT!?" she gasped in shock. "Why, Tinkerbell! Why did such a question even graze your mind? And so out of the blue!?"

Tinkerbell could feel herself reddening again and kept a distance from the flabbergasted fairy. "I'm sorry!" she yelped. "It really was...a stupid question, I shouldn't have asked. Well,, um, goodnight, Fairy Mary!" But before she could fly out of range, Fairy Mary blocked the way.

"Now just hold a toot's minute there!" she piped.

Tinkerbell remained suspended in midair, caressing her own elbow. "..."

Fairy Mary put on her best motherly smile and lowered herself and the blond onto a nearby dandelion. "Tinkerbell," she whispered. "Forgive me. It's just that I never expected this kind of insecurity from you. You always seem to be beaming with confidence and indifference."

Tinkerbell hugged her knees. "Well," she shrugged. "I'm insecure."

"But what ever for?" Fairy Mary lifted the anxious tinker's chin. "You're BEAUTIFUL, Tinkerbell. Why, with those pretty blue eyes, silk-soft golden hair, and glowing skin, many lads would line up just to receive the smallest kiss from those rose-red lips of yours!"

Tinkerbell couldn't help but giggle at that remark. "Thanks, Fairy Mary," she grinned sheepishly.

Fairy smiled back. "Say, is this about the upcoming Winter Ball?" she broached. "Are you worried about finding a date?"

"Winter Ball?" Tinkerbell blinked. "Is that the 'big dance' everyone's been talking about lately?"

Fairy Mary cringed. _Aye...this girl's as clueless as a newly-hatched chick. _"Aye, indeed it is. Legend has it that if a pair were to dance in the middle of Serenity's Pond at the peak of the silver full moon, uponn the first fallen flake of snow, their destinies would become intertwined; they'd always remain a part of each other. That is why it is such a 'big dance' to young fairies such as your friends. It should be to you, too."

Tinkerbell's eyes sparkled with interest. "Wow," she breathed. "I think that's a beautiful myth."

"As do I." Fairy Mary covered her lips as she yawned. "Say, why don't you take that Terence lad with you? He seems like a very nice fairy. And you two look quite lovely together."

"Me and Terence!?" Tinkerbell gasped, jumping a bit. A blush crept up her cheeks. "N-no way, we're just really good friends- best friends- after all. There's no way that the two of us..." She placed her cold palms on her cheeks, trying to cool down. "There's just...no way."

Fairy Mary began flying back towards her workshop. "Think it over, Tinkerbell," she advised. "Well, good luck! And goodnight."

"Goodnight, Fairy Mary." Tinkerbell waited until the redhead retreated safely into her home before flying back to hers. _What a long day... _She opened the door and nearly yelped at the sight to Terence standing by her desk, studying some leftover copper pieces. She counted a few times before walking up to him with her best smile. "Terence, hiya," she greeted. The blonde's compassionate, cerulean eyes found hers. The contact felt like kindled fire lit within her body.

"Hey there, Tink," he greeted back. "Where'd you fly off to?"

Tinkerbell shrugged, closing the door behind her. "Oh, I just went to deliver the new cart-speeder to Fairy Mary. She absolutely loved it."

Terence placed the copper piece down on the desk. "Of course," he commented. "You made it after all. Most of the things you make work to every fairy's benefits. You're one heck of a talented tinker- don't ever forget that."

Tinkerbell sat down on the sofa and relaxed herself. "Thanks, Terence. That's really nice of you to think so." She waited until the dust-talent fairy took his seat next to her, their shoulders nearly touching, before broaching the topic that had been nagging at her. "So how did it go with Stella?"

"The depot thing?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Terence sat back, eyes glued to the ceiling. "Well, she talked Fairy Gary into giving her the same position as me. And he also told me to teach her all I knew about managing pixie dust. It's pretty much like working a double shift now. I...I'm not even sure if I can visit you like I always do anymore."

Tinkerbell looked at him as though he had just said something crazy. "What!? But Terence, that's... That's terrible!"

Terence closed his eyes. "I know. I hate it."

"Then why didn't you disagree!?"

"Do you really think I can say 'no' to Fairy Gary? After all that he has done for me? It'd just break his heart." He opened his eyes again and looked up at Tinkerbell. "Doing that would probably break my heart, too."

_This is all that stupid Stella's fault. Oh, what I'd do if I had the same spunk as Vidia! _Tinkerbell averted his sorrowful gaze, trying hard to conceal her sadness.

There was amoment's silence before Terence broke it with, "But my heart's already broken."

Tinkerbell turned towards him with shimmering blue eyes. "It is?"

Terence nodded. "Because...I..." He frowned. _No, I can't say it. If I do, I don't know what she'll think of me later on. I don't think can take it. _"I can't visit someone important to me. Well, I probably can, but not as much."

"Then...I guess m heart's not exactly whole either." Tinkerbell closed her eyes. "Because I won't be able to see someone precious to me as much anymore. That makes me really sad." Upon saying that, a tear trickled down her cheek. "...I'm really going to miss you, Terence. I wish you didn't have to go."

_Someone precious to her. _"Tink..." Terence placed his hand on hers and held it tightly. _What else can I do?_

Tinkerbell appreciated the warmth coursing through her as his warm hand enveloped her cold one. "At least this isn't really goodbye," she choked. "A final one, I mean. If it was, wow. I don't think I would've accepted it at all." She then remembered about the myth of the Winter Ball. That memory brought deep rosiness to her cheeks. "..."

A memory of the ball also jogged within Terence's mind. "Say, there might be a way to ensure that we'll always be together."

"Oh?" Tinkerbell's ears perked with interest.

"Yeah." Terence looked outside the window. "Whoa, it's getting pretty dark. Well, t IS almost winter after all. I'll tell you about tomorrow if I can, okay, Tink? But I've gotta go right now before all the lights over at me side are turned off."

Tinkerbell felt her heart drop, but forced a smile. "O-of course," she whispered. "You'd...better hurry then."

"...yeah." Terence opened the door, shivering as the wind entered.

"Oh, Terence! Wait."

"Hm?"

Tinkerbell returned his vest. "You left this a while ago," she said. "Stay warm."

"Heh, right, thanks." Terence put on the vest and waved to her. "Goodnight, Tink!" And with that, he flew off, his glow disappearing into the distant darkness.

Tinkerbell stood by the door, ignoring the cold air. "Goodnight, Terence," she said softly, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I hope things will go back to normal soon. You ARE my best friend." For some reason, an awful feeling welled up inside her as she said that. "My best friend..."

"Are you sure that's your only relationship?" a voice purred.

Tinkerbell turned to her side and squeaked at the sight of Stella floating right by her house. "S-Stella! What are you doing here? And this late?" She started feeling the cold wind again and made for an attempt to retreat back into her home.

Stella's eyes glowed dangerously. "Don't you dare play koi with me, you tinker," she hissed. "I saw everything."

"...what?"

"The whole thing between you and Terence. Listen, you have no shot with him. You're a lowly tinker, he's a talented dust keeper. You're average-looking, he's really, REALLY good-looking. He's got a life and admirers, you DON'T."

Tinkerbell couldn't believe what she was hearing. And from Stella of all fairies. Her glow instantly turned red. "What's your problem, Stella?" she barked angrily "You're even meaner than Vidia!"

The brunette swayed her caramel-chocolate locks. "I'm telling you to BACK OFF," she ordered, crossing her arms. "Terence belongs with me."

Tinkerbell felt tempted just to fly out the door and tackle the arrogant dust keeper to the now-marshy ground. "And just who decided on THAT!?" she argued vehemently. "Terence doesn't like you one BIT. Don't be so full of yourself, you big-headed stinkbug!!"

"Oh!" Stella gasped, clearly offended. "You'll pay for that, Tinkerbell!" She huffed and sped off into the night.

Tinkerbell closed the door and marched to her bed, still bright red in color. "Urrrrggh!" she growled. "What an annoying fairy! I just wanna...wanna..." She made crumpling motions with her hands and yelled at the top of her lungs. "She should go get captured by pirates!"


	3. Chapter 3

Terence zoomed through the vanilla-strawberry skies, dawn barely peering through the distant mountains. The fresh sierra breeze tickled his pale skin while the tips of his fingers ran through the surface waters of the pond below. _This is the life. I feel like even my soul is floating. _He checked his list. "Let's see..." he muttered. "Today, I have to make deliveries for Alena, Drake, Fawn, Silvermist, Glace, Iridessa, Tinkerbell..." His moment of bliss died away. "Tinkerbell." _I still haven't asked her to the Winter Ball. I should really get to that. Oh, but wait, did someone already ask her? I don't know!_

"Terence...Terence, hi!"

"Huh?" Terence looked around to find where that mysterious voice came from. He looked down and lit a smile. "Oh, hey there, Silvermist." _Maybe SHE knows?_

Silvermist was occupied with placing sparkling dewdrops on a nearby spiderweb, but nevertheless, she flew up to her friend to extend the greeting. "You seem a little down," she commented. "Is something the matter?"

"Um...it's about...Tink."

"Oh? Did something happen between you two again?"

"...err...not exactly." Terence nervously scratched the back of his head. _I'm kind of afraid to ask. _"Uh, Silvermist, does um...does Tink have a partner to the Winter Ball already? Not that it really concerns me or anything! I'm just wondering..."

Silvermist's eyes twinkled. "Hm?" she hummed sweetly. "Are you thinking of asking her to the ball?" _That's so sweet._

Terence's cheeks began to develop a pink tint. "Well, err...that is, um..." _Gah, I can't believe I'm stuttering! And in front of Silvermist, too! _He looked away, very much embarrassed.

_Oops, I think I went a little too far. _Silvermist stifled a giggle. "You know, Terence, I'm not the person you should be asking this." She lightly landed on the water's surface to greet the waking fishes and amphibians below. "Why don't you ask Tinkerbell yourself?"

"Because! I...I'm kind of...nervous?"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?"

Terence looked at Silvermist with new-found realization. She blinked slowly and gracefully, her lavender-pink eyeshadow glittering in the light. "Thanks, Silvermist," he said in a more cheerful tone. "I don't know why, but I feel loads better when I talk to you. Well, second to Mr. Owl, though."

Silvermist nodded and waved at him. "Go see her."

"I will!" Terence waved back and flew off with a blissful "Yeah!" He turned a sharp corner and bumped into something very hard. He heard an awkward "Yow!" before landing on a pile of leaves below. He stood on his knees, rubbing his sore head. "Ouch...what WAS that?"

"Aye..." the culprit groaned, just a foot or two away. "Me head hurts worse than when Clank accidentally hit me that hammer of his."

Terence recognized that voice immediately. "Bobble?" he asked, running over to the scrawny tinker. "Is that you?" He pushed away a few leaves and, sure enough, it was Bobble. "Whoa, so sorry about that. I was flying kinda fast."

Bobble groggily stood up, trying to laugh the pain away. "The fault is mine, Terence. I was a bit too slow in flying."

"Nonsense."

Bobble 'refilled' his glasses and blinked at the blonde. "Oh, by the way," he added. "I must say, I'm quite surprised at ye. Tinkerbell, too."

Terence rose an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"I thought for SURE you'd be the one to ask Tinkerbell to the Winter Ball. Turns out, Zen asked her to the dance; and she said yes!"

"WHAT!?" Terence's eyes widened. Almost instantly, his feet were right off the ground and his wings flapping like crazy. "Who...who's Zen? And when did this happen? How?" _No way... I couldn't have missed my chance! I just couldn't have! _His head spun.

Bobble shuddered. _Whoa, he's really upset. _"C-calm down," he stammered. "I knew about it just earlier. He couldn't stop bragging about it in the Dining Hall."

"...where was Tink when all this happened?"

"Asleep I suppose. She wasn't there- I looked."

_Not yet. _Terence sped off towards Tinkerbell's house. _There's a chance it might all be just a lie. _He was just a hill away when a familiar brunette blocked his way. He scowled. "Stella," he panted. "I'm kinda...busy right now. So could you...please move...a-aside?" He made an attempt to fly around her, but she caught his arm.

"Busy?" Stella cooed. "How could you be busy when I'M not busy? After all, we hold the same position here."

"..."

"Oh, and have you heard the exciting news?" Stella batted her eyelashes, circling Terence. "Tinkerbell's going with Zen to the Winter Ball! Can you believe it?" She giggled and secretly watched his reaction. To her satisfaction, it was one of discontentment. _Bull's eye._

Terence turned away from her, refusing to hear anymore. "No, no I can't. Now if you would-"

"You don't believe it?" Stella cut him off. "Would you like for me to show you some proof?" She made a strange motioning wave with her hand.

This caught Terence's interest. "You have some?"

Stella smirked. "Of course!" she said cheerily and began leading the way. "C'mon!" _Just you wait, Terence. You'll see the proof you never wanted to see. _

Terence hesitated, but followed the energized fairy anyway. _Please let it be a lie. Please, oh, please. _He bit his lower lip in anxiousness. "Don't let me down, Tink," he whispered to the air. "Wait for me."

* * *

Tinkerbell groaned, waking to the sound of knocking on her door. _This early!? Who could it be? Jingles! _She sat up and lazily floated to her door. "Who is t?" she yawned. She opened the door and gasped at the sight of a tall tinker fairy with jet black hair and light golden-honey eyes. His body was lean and slightly muscular. To support all that was a pair of long, skinny legs. She blinked. It was like seeing a male fairy model. "Uh...uh..."

The dashing fairy grinned. "Tinkerbell?"

_His voice is so deep and husky. _Tinkerbell quickly fixed her hair. "Y-yes?" she replied. "Something I could help you with?" She looked around. "Are you lost?" She received a chuckle for that.

"No, no, I'm not lost. But I AM interested in asking you to go to the Winter Ball with me."

"M-me!? Go to the Winter Ball with...with YOU!?"

"Indeed."

Tinkerbell had to hold the door to keep herself from fainting. _Whoa... This is too much. I can't believe someone like this is- Wait. _"Who are you anyway?" she asked frankly.

"Oh, forgive me." The tinker pointed at himself. "My name is Zen. A tinker fairy like yourself."

"We hardly know each other and yet you're asking me to the ball?" Tinkerbell scrunched her face. "It seems a little suspicious." She closed the door behind her and sternly crossed her arms. "Explain yourself. If I don't like the explanation, what a shame."

Zen mentally rolled his eyes. _This pompous tinker is so annoying. How long until... _His ear twitched. "Um...here's my explanation." With that, he pulled Tinkerbell into a tight embrace.

Tinkerbell, of course, was very much caught off guard. But she could not wriggle free because Zen's hold was just much too strong. She could hardly even breathe. "Z-Zen!" she coughed. "Let go of me right now! Oh, I promise you. You WILL rue this day! Now let...umph!" She was forced to hold her breath when his arms tightened even more around her. _Jerk!_

* * *

Terence couldn't believe what he was seeing. Just below the tree he and Stella on was Tinkerbell; hugging an overly-handsome tinker fairy whom he had never met. "No way..." he sighed sadly. "She really did go with someone else." His eyes began to shimmer as his wings drooped.

Stella tried her best to look sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Terence," she said. "I tried to tell you..."

"Yeah, you and Bobble both."

"So then what are you going to do now? Are you going to go look for someone else?"

Terence shook his head, still shaken. "I-I don't know, Stella. What I saw just now was...I really did not expect that. Seeing the truth really hurts." An awkward silence followed. "Well, we'd better get on with our deliveries. Fairy Gary will be really upset if we're late."

Stella saluted him. "Aye-aye!" She waited until Terence had flown some distance from her before turning around to face Zen. He looked up at her. She responded by smiling widely and winking at him. Her gaze then shifted to the perplexed Tinkerbell in his arms. "I told you you'd pay," she purred. "Don't underestimate me." With an arrogant huff, she flew after Terence, a bright smile on her face. "Oh, Terence! Wait for me!"

Zen let out a pained cry when he felt Tinkerbell's foot kick his shin. He immediately released her and began tending to his injury. "What was THAT for!?" he bellowed.

"THAT was for randomly hugging me!" Tinkerbell angrily screamed. "And just for that, there is NO WAY I am going to be your date for the Winter Ball so you can just go dance with yourself!"

Zen smirked and stood up. "Pfft. Fine with me. I never wanted you to be my date in the first place. You're way too annoying." He flicked his side bangs and flew away, very much satisfied with himself. "You're so clueless. Idiot."

Tinkerbell simply stood there, dumbfounded. _Then...why did he come over to ask me to the ball?_


	4. Chapter 4

Iridessa pulled away from Rosetta's whispering lips, eyes and mouth wide open in shock. "What!?" she gasped. "Are you sure it's Tinkerbell you're talking about here?"

"Mhm," Rosetta nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"No way..."

Fawn and Silvermist fluttered down onto the ground to join the pair. "Hey, what's up?" Fawn chirped. "What's all this whispering about? It seems mysterious!" She was pulled aside by Iridessa and shared with the secret message passed onto her by Rosetta. Her expression matched that of Iridessa's from before. "WHAT!?"

"That's exactly what I said!" Iridessa squeaked. "There is NO WAY that could be true. Could it...?"

Now Silvermist was overwhelmed with curiosity. "What's the big fuss about?" she asked timidly. Rosetta whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure, Rosetta? I was sure that-"

"Oh, there she is now!" Fawn jumped and lured the girls over by a hill. Just across the stream was Tinkerbell working with animal companions on the pixie express. "Let's go talk to her. Maybe she has a different side to this story."

"Yeah, good idea," Iridessa concurred. But before any of them could budge, Tinkerbell was visited by Terence. However, he did not look so happy.

"Oh, this should be interesting," Fawn mused.

"Fawn!" the other fairies scolded.

"Sorry..."

Tinkerbell tied a knot on the needle and then set to work on the surface of her invention. "Cheese, is everything sturdy?" she asked of her faithful mouse friend. Receiving a squeak and a nod, she gave the animals a thumbs up. "Good job, everyone! We're ready for lift-off number 6!" Just as she was about to hop into the express, her attention was shifted to the dust-talent fairy standing aloof under an oak tree. "Terence?"

Terence slowly looked up. His body felt heavy. "Hey..." He trudged towards Tinkerbell with a pouch of pixie dust in his pale hands. "Here's your dust for the day."

Tinkerbell gladly took the dust. "You're lucky I still had some left from yesterday," she joked. "Maybe I should tell Fairy Gary about a certain messenger's poor delivery service?"

"...hm," Terence grunted, clearly not amused. _She can really carry on like this? Was I the only one who felt something? _He couldn't stand the feeling. It was as though Tinkerbell was ridiculing him time and time again.

_That's odd. _"Hey, Terence," Tinkerbell muttered. "Is something wrong? You seem kind of down..."

_Why'd you have to go to the ball with 'ZEN'? _Terence shook his head. "I-it's nothing," he lied. "I'm just kind of tired."

"Already? But it's only still late morning and not yet noon. Surely you can't b-"

"Look, I said I was tired!" Terence angrily cut her off. "Now would you just back off!? Stop bugging me about it already!"

Tinkerbell fell on her back, completely oblivious of this outcome. She then gazed up at him, eyes wide, chest heaving up and down from an increased heartbeat. _W-what was that? Did I say something? Terence, he...he never did that before! _She could feel her lips quivering and tears collect in her eyes. Her cheeks reddened from the dreaded feelings of fright and humiliation.

Terence saw this and, immediately, guilt flooded him. "Oh my gosh, Tink," he spoke incredulously, "I...I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He helped her to her feet. _Wow, she's really shaking. What have I done? _He shook his head mournfully. "I'm really, REALLY sorry."

"No, it's okay. I u-understand...it's just...It's my fault, Terence, I-I was a bother and...and..." Tinkerbell couldn't hold it in any longer. Her palms pressed on her face as fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

_What have I done... _Terence could feel his chest tightening. _Because of me, she's like this._"Tink, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Tink?" He made an attempt to approach her but was instantly pushed away by Rosetta. "...wha?"

"Sorry, hun," she chastised. "But you can't go near Tinkerbell."

Fawn, Iridessa, and Silvermist surrounded the sobbing Tinkerbell, worry and sympathy in their eyes. "Terence!" Iridessa spoke in a flustered voice. "Why'd you have to go and do THAT!?"

Terence gulped. "I..."

"She won't stop crying," Fawn added. "C'mon, Tinkerbell, don't cry."

"..."

Silvermist pulled Tinkerbell into a gentle hug. "There, there," she chided. "Stop that crying now. Everything's going to be alright. Sshh..." She looked at Terence and then shook her head.

_No. _Terence jumped on a rock and flew back towards the depot. _I can't face her now! Tink, I made you cry. You must really hate me... I'm sorry. _Blinded by a pained throat and hot eyes, he stumbed onto a branch of a small tree. He was too tired to try and get out of there, though. He dangled his legs and just sat there, contemplating on what just happened.

* * *

It took some time, but Tinkerbell had finally calmed down. She sat on a rock in the middle of the pond with her friends, lightly tracing her swollen eyes. "Wow," she sniffed. "I feel like such a crybaby. I should apologize to Terence properly."

"Oh, don't say that!" Fawn cried, throwing her arms up in the air. "It was Terence's fault. He shouldn't have talked to you that way. It was totally uncalled for."

The others nodded. "It's not like Terence to do that though," Silvermist commented thoughtfully. "He's usually calm, good-natured, and sweet." She watched as a butterfly fluttered by and perched itself on a water lily. "For him to have an outburst like that, it's so strange."

Rosetta's wings drooped. "Honestly," she said. "I feel kind of bad for the guy."

Iridessa looked around and guiltily looked down at her hands folded on her lap. "I shouldn't have yelled at him like that," she confessed. "I feel just awful now. Poor thing... I must have hurt his feelings! Oh, me and my big mouth!"

Tinkerbell looked down at her own reflection, watching as a lily pad floated by just above her head. "Something must have been upsetting him already," she concluded. "Or else he wouldn't have exploded like he did."

"You think so?" Fawn squeaked.

"Positive." Tinkerbell stood up, gathering all courage she had left. "And I'm going to find out just what it is."

Rosetta perked up a bit, her ruby-red lips forming a small smile. "You sure have a lot of faith in Terence, don't you, Tinkerbell?" she giggled.

Tinkerbell smiled back. "Of course I do!" she answered vehemently. "He's my best friend. I always keep a lot of faith for him no matter what. That's what friends do after all." She sprinkled some dust on herself and began ascending into the air. "Thanks for helping me cheer up, you guys! I feel MUCH better!" With a brief wink, she disappeared into the fields.

The girls looked at each other, all having knowing smiles on their faces. "She is so into him," they said at the same time and laughed. It was just much too amusing to see their fellow tinker still see herself and the dust keeper as 'best friends'. They looked up at the sound of wings flapping.

"Hello, there," Stella waved and smiled sweetly.

"Wow, she's cute," Rosetta whispered to the others and waved back. "Good mornin'! What's your name, new pretty fairy?"

Stella giggled and blushed as she daintily landed in the middle of the group. "My name is Stella," she replied in a high-pitched, princess voice. "And I thank you for that compliment. Although I am not all that pretty..." She pouted.

"Don't be so modest, girl," Iridessa told the brunette. "You've got looks!"

"Agreed," Fawn added. Silvermist simply smiled but said nothing.

Stella looked away bashfully, greatly flattered. "Aw, you're all so nice! I like you already." Her cat-like eyes glinted. "Oh, by the way, was that blond tinker fairy a friend of yours?" She received uncertain nods from the fairies and mentally pat herself on the back. "Oh, I'd stay away from her if I were you..."

Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, and Silvermist's hospitable moods instantly vanished. "And just why should we do THAT?" Rosetta questioned. "Like you said- Tinkerbell's our friend."

"Oh, did you all not hear about what she did with that Terence person?" Stella asked innocently.

"If it's about the ball and Zen..." Silvermist started.

Stella shook her head. "No, it's not about that." She brought herself closer to them. "I saw it all!" she whispered excitedly. "Last night, Terence dropped by for a visit at um...Tinkerbell? Tinkerbell's house. While he was in there, she was entranced by some mood and just KISSED him."

The four fairies gasped in shock. "She WHAT!?"

"That's right," Stella continued. "I got curious so I flew closer to the window. I sound like a stalker, but I'm sorry! It's just that I work closely with Terence... Anyway, when I flew down, I saw Terence push Tinkerbell away and say, 'I'm sorry, Tink. This is just too fast for me. I don't think we should move on from our friendship.' Tinkerbell got really frustrated by that and told him to get out." She sighed. "And so Terence did just that. Then, early this morning, I saw him going to her house AGAIN."

Fawn emitted a quirky smile. "He has that habit of frequently visiting her."

"It's cute, though," Rosetta mumbled.

"True, true."

Stella's eye twitched in irritation. _Shut...UP! URRRGGGH! _"So then," she cut in between the two, trying hard to keep her feigned smile. "When he knocked, no one answered. So he gave the door a light push and it opened! He cautiously walked in and, right there in front of him, was Tinkerbell with Zen. They were cuddling on her sofa and talking. When they saw him, TInkerbell was the one who was really surprised. Terence, oh I felt so bad for him, couldn't say a thing. All he could do was turn and fly away, as fast as he could."

Rosetta frowned skeptically. "Just how do you know all this, Stella?"

"Like I said- I work closely with Terence. I have a novice habit of following him. I'm trying to learn to be a good dust keeper like him."

"That story would explain a lot," Fawn murmured.

"But that doesn't sound like Tinkerbell at all," Iridessa defended. "She would never two-time Terence."

"She DOES talk to a lot of guys..."

"Um..."

Silvermist flew in the middle of the circle in a frenzy. "Can't you hear yourselves!?" she cried, on the verge of tears. "You're all considering betraying Tinkerbell! She's our friend! How could any of you even CONSIDER it?"

Rosetta, Iridessa, and Fawn looked down at the ground. "..."

Stella placed a hand on Silvermist's shoulder, causing the water fairy to jump a little. "Silvermist," she said, "Open your eyes. What else would upset Terence so much?" _You should know since you two appear like close siblings. SO ANSWER THAT QUESTION._

"W-well...err..." Silvermist's wings began to droop as her eyes searched for an answer. "Uh...hm."

_Bingo. _Stella eyed the fairies carefully, her expression dark and serious. "ALL of you. Think about this more carefully." She tucked strands of her hair behind her ears and closed her eyes. "We can't expect Tinkerbell to be one perfect fairy. She has her flaws. And this flaw... She decided to hurt one of the most kindest fairies in Pixie Hollow. It's...it's really sad, I think, how she faked those tears just to get you four to blame Terence."

Rosetta looked at the other three, her eyes begging for an answer. They looked back at her. To her dismay, they had the same questioning eyes as her.


	5. Chapter 5

Tinkerbell arrived at the depot, eyes frantically searching for Terence. She ran over to Fairy Gary's counter. "Fairy Gary!"

The pompous fairy nearly dropped his clipboard from the blonde's sudden greeting. He turned around to face her. But instead of flashing a welcoming smile, his lips remained unlighted, fixed to a glum expression. "Oh, Tinkerbell," he spoke in a somewhat tired manner. "Something I can help you with?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if you could tell me where Terence is? I need to talk to him about something REALLY important."

A nearby fairy with strawberry-blond hair and hazel eyes overheard and intervened. "After what YOU did to him?" he barked harshly. "Why would he ever want to talk to you!? You're the lowest and the WORST. Get out of here! Git!"

"Rick!" Fairy Gary bellowed, reddening in anger.

Rick understood and begrudgingly backed off. However, he kept his icy glare on Tinkerbell.

Tinkerbell was now very much confused. "Huh?" she questioned. "What I did? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything." She shuddered at finding all the dust keepers surrounding her and glowering. "W-what?"

"Get out of here, Tinkerbell," a brunette with blond highlights spat. The others began joining her.

"Yeah, you're not welcomed here!"

"Oh my gosh....SO annoying."

"Ew, anyone smell a tinker that really STINKS right now?"

"Haha, it's that stupid one down there!"

Tinkerbell took some steps back, eyes watering and body shivering in fear. _What's going on? Why are they all so angry with me? _"St-stop it," she uttered. "Why are you all saying mean things? I didn't do anything t-to any of you! O-or Terence!"

A dust keeper with dark hair an light-brown eyes suddenly spoke up. "Oh?" he sneered. "Did I hear a roach speak just now?"

"No, sounded more like a pitiful worm," his friend commented.

"Whatever that bug said really hurt my ears!" a blonde cackled.

Fairy Gary turned to the dust keepers and shouted, "ENOUGH!!!" He must have been loud because he could feel the floor beneath him shake a little and the dust keeper themselves nearly blown away. "You should all be ashamed of yerrselves! Calling yerrselves 'dust keeper fairies'? HA! Yer're all cowardly enough to gang up on one lone tinker fairy! That's terribly dishonorable!"

The dust keepers sadly looked at each other and then glared scornfully at Tnkerbell. "..."

"Get back to work, all a ye!!"

Tinkerbell looked on as the agitated fairies turned their backs on her and flew back to their stations. She gave a frightened cry when something hard hit her face. When she opened her eyes, she found that red powder ran from her face down to her thighs. "Oh..." she moaned sadly and sped out of the depot. She dared not show her tears in that place. They did not deserve that sick satisfaction. She could hear Fairy Gary calling her from behind, but she continued on until she reached a lone, shrivelled tree. There, it was very quiet- enough peace to let her cry and rethink things.

Vidia was in the middle of removing dust from the fields below when she felt wet drops frequently hit her face and wings. Rather annoyed, she flew up the half-dead tree to investigate. When she saw who it was, a nasty scowl plastered itself on her face. "Do you mind?" she said sarcastically. "Some of us are trying to WORK. No one wants your salty crying."

Tinkerbell looked up, saw Vidia, and hid her crimson-stained face. "...go away, Vidia," she hiccuped. "I'm not in the mood..."

The wind fairy saw this and let out a very amused laugh. "Oh my, what'd you do!?" she snorted. "Belly flop in tomato powder!? Geez, you're pathetic! Ahahahaha!"

"..." Tinkerbell's wings folded, reaching the branch she sat on. _First the dust keepers, now Vidia? This is just too cruel. _

Vidia's laughter began to die away when she received no 'smart aleck' replies or 'burns' for her insult. She cleared her throat and placed her hands on her hips. "Pfft," she rolled her eyes. "At least say SOMETHING back. It's no fun insulting you when you don't react to it at all."

"I'm sorry," Tinkerbell sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Don't apologize for something so pointless!" Vidia scolded harshly. She stepped down onto the branch and leaned on the tree. "So why are YOU so depressed? That's pretty rare."

"Why do you care?" Tinkerbell grumbled. "It's not like I'm your friend."

"That's right; you're NOT."

Tinkerbell flinched. _She didn't have to agree so quickly. _

Vidia studied her long, well-refined nails. "But I AM jealous," she continued. "That someone or something could make you this miserable while I can't. So I'm curious." She turned her attention back on Tinkerbell. "Now, tell me what happened."

Tinkerbell hesitated for a moment, but then began, "The dust keepers are angry with me and I don't know why. They were saying that I did something awful to Terence and that he didn't want to speak with me. I didn't even see him at the depot. I don't know what's going on!"

"Hm, is that so?" Vidia yawned.

"Stella, WAIT!!!"

Vidia and Tinkerbell looked up to find Stella being chased by at least 7 male wind fairies. She was giggling and teasing them while they followed with flushed faces and open mouths. Vidia's blood boiled. "Why those little... I told them to work seriously!"

"Huh?"

Vidia shot herself to the sky in an instant and stopped the mischievous fairies in their tracks- including the profound Stella. The slim wind fairy shot a cold glare at the brunette. "Who are you?" she hissed. "And who do you think you are to distract these guys from thir work?"

_Time to work my magic. _"My name is Stella," she said sweetly. "And I'm sorry. I guess I found them all to be so handsome! And they really liked me so-"

"Oh, GAG," Vidia interrupted, rolling her eyes. "I don't care. Get lost already."

The guys flew in front of Stella, trying to defend her. "You can't talk to the beautiful Stella like that!" they protested. "That's really rude, Vidia. Now apologize to her or else!" They cracked their knuckles and intentionally bulked up their bodies the best they could.

Vidia was a bit appalled, but remained stolid. "Oh, yeah?" With strained fingers she conjured black twisters within her hands. "Or else WHAT? Are you sure you all want to challenge ME by yourselves!?"

Stella hid behind a tree while the guys stayed. "Err...um... We're not scared!"

Stricken by a mix of annoyance and rage, Vidia unleashed her attack on the mob. The twisters hit their mark and following that was a tornado of ferns and thistles. "You still want to challenge me!?" Vidia shrilled. She threw the tornado at them and sent them all flying. "Didn't think so!" She turned her attention to the tree Stella was behind and blew that portion into a million pieces. "Now, where were we?"

Stella caught a glimpse of Tinkerbell from afar and got an idea. "No wait!" she cried frantically. "This was all Tinkerbell's idea!"

Tinkerbell overheard this and screamed, "What!?"

Vidia arched a skeptical brow. "HER idea?"

"Th-that's right!" Stella smirked. _Now you'll REALLY get it, Tinkerbell. _"She told me to distract the guys working on the fields with you so that your job would be MUCH harder. That would surely give her the satisfaction. Ugh, she is such a horrible fairy! I-I...I only complied since she is my only friend..."

"Say what now!?" Tinkerbell tried to rub the red powder from her face but to no avail. "Since...since when were we friends!? Oh, if I could see properly you'd be on the ground with my foot on your face right now! Jerk!"

Stella tried her best not to retaliate. "Oh, how mean!" she wailed.

_I've had enough of this racket. _Vidia released a strong gust of wind onto Stella, who flew quite a distance back. "Hey you," she muttered. "Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to believe a story like THAT? Look, Tinkerbell's a lot of things but she's not that kind of fairy."

Tinkerbell's eyes sparkled. "Vidia..." _Maybe she DOES like me after all?_

"She's way too nice for her own good. She'll probably die that way."

All admiration was burned away. "You meanie!" the blonde squeaked, glow reddening. "At least nice comes with its own benefits!"

"Hmph." Stella approached Vidia and smirked at her. "Looks like there's no need fo this 'nice princess' facade." With a blast of dust, she blinded Vidia, causing her to hurl down onto the leaf-filled ground. She followed suit, landing gracefully on a log.

"Vidia!" Tinkerbell cried.

Vidia popped her head out from the leaves, ego badly bruised. "Why...how DARE you!" she gasped in utter shock.

Stella dusted her arms. "You two had better listen and listen well," she warned. "Now that your 'friendship' is completely obvious, I'm going to make sure to destroy both of your reputations. Soon, you will find no reason to stay in Pixie Hollow."

_Destroy our reputations? Then, then! _Tinkerbell's eyes widened in grim realization. "You...YOU'RE the one who started that rumor in the depot!" she accused angrily.

"That's right," Stella proudly stated. "But even if you or vile Vidia here tell anyone, they're not going to believe you. After all, the PRETTY fairy ALWAYS gets everyone's good sides." She rose into the air. "Give up on Terence, Tinkerbell. And this war will at last come to an end. With me as the victor of course BUT at least you and Vidia won't have to suffer!" She brought a hand to her mouth and laughed evilly as she flew away.

Vidia stood up and sat on the log, still humiliated. "...give up on Terence?" she asked. "That little blond dust keeper?"

"Yeah," Tinkerbell sighed. "Stella has a major crush on him I think."

"And you do, too?"

"N-no!" Tinkerbell was glad that her face was already plastered with red powder. "We're best friends! I think she just got the wrong idea or something...and is kind of jealous." She trailed a finger on her warm cheek. "But still...this is going way too far." _But I don't want her to be with Terence._

Vidia scowled. "That witch-of-a-fairy needs to be taught a darn-good lesson!" she snapped. "Which is why we cannot let her have the satisfaction of beating us and having Terence!"

Tinkerbell blinked. "Huh?"

Vidia clenched her hand into a fist. "I am so going to make her pay for what she did just now!" Her eyes seemed to glow. "That Stella is messing with the WRONG fairy."


	6. Chapter 6

Stella stumbled into the depot and fell to the ground. "Oh, the pain!" she sobbed. "It hurts so much!" She hugged her ribcage with one arm and winced at the imaginary wound. "Fairy Gary, please...I need...I...oh!"

Her fellow dust keeper co-workers quickly surrounded her small form to lend their support. "Stella!" they cried in worry.

"Step aside, step aside!" Fairy Gary made his way through the crowd and finally reached the young fairy. A devastated expression crossed his chubby face. "Stella! What ever in the world happened to ye? Yerr a mess! Just look at yerself!"

Stella forced herself into tears and uttered, "I...I was only making the deliveries you sent me on, Fairy Gary. B-but then Vidia...oh, I didn't mean to!"

"What?" Rick urged her on. "Vidia what?"

"Well, I w-was flying by the meadow, in a hurry, when I bu-bumped into Vidia. She...she got SO mad!" _Time to show my masterpiece. _She showed them her arms and legs, which were covered with crimson scrapes and dirt. "She just wouldn't stop bullying me! I begged...and BEGGED. But she only became angrier and threw attacks at me even harder! Oh, it was so awful. I don't think I can even fly as fast I used to anymore... Not for a while anyway."

"Aww..." The dust keepers sympathized their novice messenger.

"Poor thing!" a female fairy with black hair gasped. "She really did not deserve that Vidia's 'wrath'."

"Definitely a big no-no," the blond dust keeper next to her nodded.

"There now," Fairy Gary soothed, helping the damsel in distress to her feet. "Ye can take a few days off until ye regain yer strength. Now, don't push yourself too hard now, ye hear?" He walked back behind his counter and brought out a basket full of sweets and decorated with colorful flowers and vines. "Why don't ye give this to Terence on yer way home? He could use a little perkin'."

_Ugh, more errands? _Stella took the basket and nodded. "I sure will!" she said enthusiastically. "Thank you very much, Fairy Gary! You're so wonderful!"

Fairy Gary began to blush. "Aw, that's really sweet..."

"Bye Stella!" the dust keepers waved. "Feel better soon!"

Stella waved back. "Oh, I'll try my best just for all of you!" As soon as she was some distance away from the depot, she dropped the basket into a nearby garbage can. "How troublesome," she spat venomously. "I'm no longer a pathetic messenger. I am Stella; the beautiful fairy Princess who gets her dashing Prince." She first stopped by the pond to wash off her painted scrapes and dirt before making her way to Terence's home. She fixed her dress and hair and gently knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" a muffled groan came from the other side.

"It's me- Stella. I just came by for a short visit?" She caught a glimpse of him taking a peek through his window for confirmation and grinned. To her joy, the door unlocked and opened. She daintily walked inside with flirtatious eyes. "Hello."

Terence's smile still hadn't resurfaced. "Not to be rude, Stella," he mumbled. "But...I'm really still not feeling well right now."

"And that's why Fairy Gary let you off early!" Stella approached a photo with Terence and Tinkerbell together in it, both smiling brightly. _Gross. _She glared distastefully at it. Something shiny next to the photo caught her eye; it was a ruby rose pendant cut straight in half. She gently picked it up, mesmerized by its brilliant color.

"Don't touch that!" Terence snatched the precious item away, pressing it hard against his chest. "Please..."

Stella's expression turned melancholic. "Is it that important to you?" she asked quietly. "To take it from me like that?"

"..." Terence nodded.

"What is it?"

"Tink and I made this pendant together," Terence explained. "With her tinkering skills and my ability to work efficiently with powder, we created this." A faint smile graced his lips. "It brings back so many memories. If anything happened to it, I don't know what I'd do."

A painful feeling grasped Stella when she heard this. "It's a rose right?" she forced herself to ask on. "Where's the other half?"

"...Tink has it."

"Oh, I see." Stella bit her lower lip, fighting back tears. "Tinkerbell...just who IS she to you, Terence?"

Terence looked up at her with anxious blue eyes that could break anyone's heart at first sight. "Who is she to me?" He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Finally reaching an answer, he said, "Tinkerbell is..." A light blush appeared on his cheeks. "...the special someone that holds my heart."

Stella bowed her head sadly. _So that's how it is, huh. _"Ah..." She headed for the door.

"Stella?"

"I-I have to go," Stella stammered. "I injured mys-self earlier s-so...I need to rest." _Unforgivable. _"Bye." Without a second thought, she left Terence's home in a distressed hurry. _I've had enough of this stupid drama. I just can't take much more!_

* * *

Dusk had finally fallen and the fairies were finishing up the last of their tasks. Tinkerbell fluttered back into the tinker village, exhausted form the day's events. She politely brought a hand to her mouth as she yawned, "At least I got that red stuff off. No thanks to Vidia; she wouldn't even help!"

"Tinkerbell!"

The blonde looked down and saw Bobble and Clank waving at her. _I'm tired, but they're my friends so... _She landed next to them. "Hey!"

"Did ye finish the work Fairy Mary gave ye?" Bobble asked.

"Sure was a lot..." Clank complained, taking a bit out of a juicy blueberry. "Got me starving!"

Tinkerbell wiped her brow with the back of her small hand. "Yep, barely," she replied. "It kept me really busy!" She looked over Bobble's small shoulders and noticed Iridessa and Rosetta talking together, sitting on a rock afar. A smile lit her face_. It's good to see friends after a long, hard day_. "Iridessa! Rosetta! Hi!"

The two fairies turned to her for a moment, gave no reply, and simply flew away.

Tinkerbell frowned, puzzled. "Why didn't they say 'hi' back?" she wondered. "I'm sure they saw and heard me."

"Aw, don't worry!" Clank gave her a hearty pat on the back. "They're probably just tired from the day's work. I don't think they really heard ya... Maybe try again tomorrow? I'm sure it'll be better."

"That's the way, Clank!" Bobble cheered. "Be positive!"

"Hmm..." Tinkerbell tried her best to keep smiling. "I guess you're right. Well, I have to go now so I'll see you guys tomorrow. Later!" She rose into the air and headed for home. _I'm not an idiot. I know those two ignored me on purpose. But...WHY? _As she neared her house, she noticed the lights were on. "Eh?" Worried and a little scared, she cautiously landed on the doorstep and peeked through the open window. To her shock, it was her most detested brunette standing by the coffee table. She angrily flew inside using the window and screamed, "STELLA!"

Startled, Stella nearly dropped the object she held, but quickly caught it. She turned towards Tinkerbell. "Err..." _Drat! I'm caught._

Tinkerbell stomped her foot, her red glow deepening in shade. "What do you think you're doing?" she interrogated. "And what is that in your hands? Are you stealing stuff from me now!? Just how sorry-of-a-fairy can you get!?"

"Not THAT sorry," Stella sneered and held up the half-rose pendant.

_That's...!! _Tinkerbell immediately lost all color from her face as her eyes widened in horror. "No...no!" she pleaded. "Stella, please. That is very important to me. I treasure it like it's my life! Please, I beg of you! Give it back..."

Stella hid the pendant in a balled fist. "I won't."

"Stella, please...!"

"Beg for it like your life depends on it," Stella ordered, eyes darkening with malice. "Get down on your knees and cry. Lower your head to me." She held up the small trinket between her index and middle finger. "Well?"

Tinkerbell hesitated greatly at first, but slowly lowered herself on her knees and bowed her head. "I beg of you... Please, Stella, give me back my pendant." She looked up at the brunette with sorrowful cerulean eyes that shimmered with upcoming tears. "It's very precious to me..."

Stella arched a sadistic brow and glanced at the pendant and then back at Tinkerbell. "This thing means that much to you, huh?"

Tinkerbell nodded, bowing her head once more. "...VERY much..."

"...well too bad." Stella threw the sentimental item out the window with a cruel smirk. "I'm not giving it to you."

"...!" Tinkerbell could only look on as the pendant vanished into the darkness. "No!" she cried and flew right after it. She reached the ground but found that there was no light strong enough to help her find the miniature jewel. "No, please, no!" She knelt down and searched blindly with her hands but to no avail. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she collapsed to the dirt, dazed with devastation and unbearable pain. "It...it's gone...my pendant...GONE." She felt a heavy weight of water crash down on her and helplessly looked up.

Stella hovered above Tinkerbell, a dripping bucket in her hands. "Oops," she giggled. "I guess this thing DID have water after all. My bad."

"..." Tinkerbell could find no words to express the rage and scorn burning within her at this moment. Finding it all useless and pathetic, she hid her face and cried harder.

_That's right. Cry. Cry in MY place! _Stella dropped the bucket on Tinkerbell's limp body. "Stay like that!" she spat. "It's an improvement on your appearance." With an arrogant huff, she flew back to the dust keeper village, a smug smile on her face. _My heart is at peace again! _

Tinkerbell remained still on the muddy earth, ignoring the cold wind that howled mercilessly over the village. "...I'm in pain," she murmured to herself. "So much pain..." She closed her eyes, allowing more tears to fall. _Terence, where are you? _"...I'm all alone."


	7. Chapter 7

Bobble and Clank sat on their broken wagon, bored and drowsy. "Ye just HAD to race down that hill, didn't ye?" Bobble sighed in aggravation, glaring at Clank. "Now look it! The wagon's a wreck-ed mess and we have no extra wheels."

Clank gave a puppy pout. "I thought it was kinda fun actually..." he mumbled.

_Of course you'd think that. _Bobble looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what to do next. "If only we had some more dust," he wondered out loud. "Then it'd be enough to lift this wagon back to the village so we can repair it."

"Delivery for Bobble and Clank?"

Bobble and Clank turned around and found Terence walking towards them with two pouches full of golden pixie dust. "Terence!" they cried with joy and ran over to him.

Terence chuckled, "Whoa, what a welcome."

The two best friends took the pouches and smiled at each other. "We're saved!" Clank cheered. "Fairy Mary won't get mad at us. We still have time to fix the wagon and make the deliveries. I'll go dust the wagon right now." He took his pouch and flew back to the broken wagon.

"Oh, hey," Terence called. "Let me help you with that-" He was momentarily stopped by Bobble, who held his arm firmly. "Bobble...?"

"...have ye seen Tinkerbell?" Bobble asked. "She was supposed to work with us, but hasn't even punched in for work. And no one's seen her since this mornin'. It's kind of strange, I think. It's worrying us tinkers quite a bit."

"Uh, no, I haven't seen Tinkerbell. I've been pretty busy lately."

"Oh...well, never mind then. Be seeing ye, Terence!" Bobble flew over to Clank to help the large fairy with scattering the dust.

Terence placed a hand on his chin, now deep in thought. _No one's seen Tink since this morning, huh? Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about her either until now. _He gazed up the dark, grey skies. _A storm's coming. I should go check on her. _"But will she WANT to see me?" He looked at Bobble and Clank, who now had the wagon up in the air.

"So now what?" Clank asked.

"Let's push it together, pal," Bobble replied. "The job is faster when two friends work together in harmony."

"Oh, alright!"

"..." Without a second thought, Terence took flight, headed for Tinkerbell's house. _Something's definitely wrong here. I have a bad feeling. _When he reached her house, it started to drizzle. He pushed the door and it opened. _I knew it. _He walked inside, looking around. "Tink? Hey, Tink, you home?" No reply. He frowned and looked towards the window. He found a fallen stool pointing towards the outside. Using that as his compass, he flew back outside and looked down. Sure enough, there was Tinkerbell; unconscious on the ground. "Tink!"

Tinkerbell's body was still, her eyes closed tight. There was no longer any dust upon her wings nor any blush on her cheeks.

_Why...why isn't she answering me!? _"Tink!" Terence flew down to where she was and picked her up bridal style, studying her fatigue face. "Tink, wake up!" He shook her lightly.

No response.

Scared and unsure of what to do next, Terence followed his instincts and flew back inside her house. He laid her down on the bed and then closed the door and windows. "Tink, stay with me," he pleaded. "Don't let your light go out just yet!" He raided her closet, obtained some blankets, and then placed them on her. To his relief, she was still breathing, but heavily.

"Hu...hu..." Tinkerbell panted weakly.

Terence held her hand tightly, praying for her well-being. "I wish I could do more for you right now," he told her. "Anything to stop this suffering..."

"...T-Terence..."

"...?" Terence looked up at the sound of his name. "Tink? A-are you awake?" He found that her eyes were still closed; therefore she was unaware of his presence. _No, she's dreaming. About me? _His sense of hearing suddenly heightened.

"I'm so sorry," Tinkerbell continued. "I didn't mean...you're angry... No. I... Terence, don't...don't go."

Terence could feel her hand tightly grasp his. His heart began beating faster at those words. _Tink...just what are you dreaming about? _His eyes widened at seeing a tear fall from one of her eyes. "Stop it..." he whispered, close to tears himself. "Stop dreaming of those bad things. I can't bear to see you cry."

Tinkerbell shifted a little, furrowing her brows. "...I can't...ignore you."

"..." Time seemed to stop. Terence's heart skipped a beat. His eyes began to shimmer. "Tinkerbell..." her full name escaped his tired lips. _No, you shouldn't have said that! If it was for Zen... _He closed his eyes tightly, teardrops falling from his eyes and onto her cheeks. _Because you're with someone else, how can you say that? It's just too cruel. _He watched as she slept, still struggling with her nightmares. _My heart is wounded. _"These feelings I have," he muttered. "They hurt so much I feel like I'm being ripped apart. So much that I feel like crying whenever I see you."

Tinkerbell seemed to have found peace for she no longer uttered another word.

"These feelings just won't go away no matter what I do, how hard I try." He released her hand and sat back, drying his eyes. "But time just isn't on my side." He placed a cold hand on his heart. "I'm not the one you gave your heart to. You can't answer my feelings." Much to his relief, he found Tinkerbell begin to stir. "..." _Here's my last gift to you. _He took from his own pouch a bit of dust and placed it on her wings; reviving her golden glow.

Tinkerbell's eyes slowly fluttered open until deep blue orbs were once again visible. "Hn...Terence?" she groaned, half asleep. She sat up and looked around. "Eh?" To her surprise, she was all alone, sitting on her damp bed with her hair in slight disarray. _That's strange. I could've sworn I heard Terence's voice. _She looked down at herself and undid her bun. "Terence, you WERE here, weren't you?" Her fingers curled into a delicate ball. "Or else I wouldn't be back inside my own house."

From the ground, Terence's eyes remained fixated on Tinkerbell's quaint little house. "See ya, Tink." Just as he was about to take off, he spotted something glistening in the dirt. "Hm?"

Auspiciously, the rain stopped and the clouds began to part. Rays of newborn sunlight peered from the heavens and shone down on the watered landscape below. One of the beams struck the object, its crimson light reflecting in Terence's eyes.

"Hey, this is...!" He dug and unearthed the half-rose pendant. "What's it doing out here?"

"Terence?"

Terence's ears picked up the clicking of locks from Tinkerbell's door. _I've gotta get out of here. _He hastily made his exit.

Tinkerbell stepped out of her house, dressed in a new and dry leaf-mini dress and hair up in a neat bun. "I guess he really did leave..." she mumbled sadly.

"Ugh, leave me alone!!" a voice shrilled from above.

Looking up, Tinkerbell spotted Vidia zooming around the sky, trying to shake off fairy followers that seemed more like a mob. _Vidia! Oh, no. I think she's in trouble! _She flew up to assist the wind fairy. "Vidia!" she called. "Hang in there!"

Vidia whirled around, eyes flaring with rage. "I told you guys to get LOST!" With a strong whip of her hand, a sharp gust of wind struck the other fairies, knocking them down onto the ground.

One of them, a garden fairy with long orange hair and green eyes, groggily sat up and shouted, "You're awful, Vidia! Just awful!"

"Yeah!" the other fairies commented. "First, you and Tinkerbell bully Stella and now THIS?"

"How ugly!"

"Like I give a hoot as to what you low-life fairies think!" Vidia countered in a sassy voice. She spotted Tinkerbell and flew towards her. "Tch."

"What's going on?" Tinkerbell asked worriedly. "Why are they all so mad you?"

Vidia rolled her eyes. "That 'Stella' is really making my life difficult," she grumbled. "In fact, she's more of a pain than YOU. She needs to be exterminated." She sashayed over to a large boulder and took a seat on a dry patch. "Pixie Hollow doesn't need fairies like her!"

Tinkerbell nodded and crossed her arms. "I agree."

Vidia shot an icy glare at the blonde for a second, rolled her eyes, and picked up a black rock. "We need a plan to expose her," she stated fiercely. Her hand gripped the rock firmly as she began to draw out a diagram of some sort. After finishing, she frowned. "Uh..."

"Uh..." Tinkerbell coughed. "That's kind of...complicated. Even for me."

"Don't talk like you're something special!" Vidia snapped and threw the rock away. "Tch. This is going to be more harder than I thought. Too many fairies like her; strong defense."

Tinkerbell's eyes fell downcast. "I don't care," she sniffed. "I'm going to make her pay for what she did to me last night!"

"Oh my, oh my!" a mischievous giggle emitted from behind the two. They turned around and found Stella, with a group of fairies surrounding her, approaching them. "Why if isn't Tinkerbell and Vidia. Are you going to bully me again?"

"Just who's bullying who!?" Tinkerbell flared.

Zen stepped in, anger evident in his eyes. "Hey, you!" he bellowed. "Don't talk to Stella like that!"

A bleach-blond ice fairy conjured a sharp crystal in her hand. "Stop picking on her!" The crystal emitted a teal glow.

Stella clasped her hands. "My, you're such wonderful friends," she breathed. "Standing up for someone as defenseless and weak as me... It's so admirable! Thank you." She mentally cackled. _Those two don't stand a chance. I have the power here._

_What are they thinking!? _Vidia went in for the offense. "Are you all IDIOTS!?" she screeched. "Can't you see that this stupid Prima Donna is just using you!? Open your eyes!"

Rick now hovered at the front, his expression dark and angry. "Just who are you calling 'idiots'? Shut up and get lost! Stella's passing through and she's injured because of you two!"

"No way!" Tinkerbell declined quickly and floated next to Vidia. "Nobody injured her! She's just making up those stupid lies again!"

Before Rick could reply, Stella placed a hand on his shoulder, bidding him to stop. "It's okay," she told the fairies around her. "They're just jealous of me; that's why they pick on me so much. I think it's best to leave those two to their own selfish ways." She got the fairies to fly the other way. "It's kind of sad really."

"..."

"..."

Stella stopped for a moment and announced, "By the way, the Winter Ball is in a few days! And guess who I'M going with?" She smirked at Tinkerbell before giving an answer. "Terence."

Tinkerbell's eyes widened. "WHAT!?"

"That's right," Stella snickered. "You've lost, Tinkerbell! My charms won the Prince's heart in the end!" She winked and flew over to join her cheering group.

"Congratulations, Stella!" they laughed.

"...!" _This can't be happening! _Tinkerbell fell back down on the boulder, breathing heavily and face turning pale. _It's impossible! Terence...why?_

"Tinkerbell!" Vidia rushed down to the blonde and placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, my- You've got a fever!? You shouldn't have come outside in the first place!" _How am I gonna get her to the infirmary? Um...er... _Her conclusion made her shudder in disgust but there was no other way. With a repulsed groan, she swung Tinkerbell's limp arm over her neck and carried her that way. _SO disgusting. Yuck. _

Tinkerbell tried to flap her wings but just couldn't find the strength to do so. Her mind was still hazed by the news.

"You'd better not give in!" Vidia told the sickly tinker.

"..." Tinkerbell's half-open eyes fully closed. _Why Stella of all people? How could you, Terence? _Tears gathered behind closed eyelids, threatening to fall. _Were the things you told me just some minutes ago really all a dream_? "I was wishing so foolishly..." she choked.

Vidia remained silent.


	8. Chapter 8

_Terence must really hate me... Huh? Is that...freshly baked sweet-buns? _Tinkerbell opened her eyes to find herself in a room full of incense and fragrant flowers. From her fingertips, she realized that she was laying down on a literal bed of roses- thorns conveniently plucked out. She sat up and found Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, and Silvermist standing by the bed with shimmering eyes. "It's been a while," the weakened tinker smiled faintly.

"Tinkerbell!!" they cried and surrounded her with tearful hugs.

"We're SO sorry!" Iridessa squeaked.

Tinkerbell gave a puzzled look. "For what?"

"For ever believing that no-good Stella!" Fawn answered. "She told us a bunch of bad things about you. And...we were foolish enough to have trusted her." She looked away in shame. "That's why, we're asking for your forgiveness?"

"She sounded so convincing," Rosetta came in. "It was hard to just simply ignore her. But still. That's no excuse." She solemnly looked into Tinkerbell's deep, blue eyes. "We should have believed in you."

Tinkerbell could feel tears coming. "Aw, you guys..." she breathed.

Silvermist bowed her head. "We're sorry for being such bad friends," she finished for the others.

"Oh!" Tinkerbell embraced them all warmly. "I have nothing against you guys for ever doubting me," she whispered. "I'm just glad that you told me the truth. And that int he end...we could all still be friends." She beamed through tears. "That alone brings me so much happiness."

"More happiness than where that came from," Rosetta told her. "Vidia told us everything that happened. Why that Stella! It's terrible!"

"I just can't believe she'd do that!" Fawn cried. "We need to get even with her!"

Silvermist conveyed a sympathetic expression. "And to think that she's going with Terence to the Winter Ball..."

The other fairies excluding Tinkerbell turned to her and scolded, "Silvermist!"

The water fairy flnched, relaizing her mistake. "S-s-sorry!" she stuttered. "I er... I didn't mean- Oh..."

Tinkerbell's eyes fell downcast for a second but she quickly forced a smile. "It's alright!" she said as cheerfully as she could. "I think it's great; for Terence, I mean." She earned shocked glnces from her friends. _I can't let my disappointment be obvious. _"Well, as long as he has someone he really likes and can be with her then...i-it's fine isn't it?"

"Tinkerbell..." the four fairies sighed and looked at her worriedly.

"...!" Tinkerbell touched her cheek to find that they were moist. "Co-come on," she sniffed. "Don't look at me like that. It's...it's just going to m-make me really..." More tears came, forcing her to hide her face behind her cold palms. "...really sad...!"

"Oh, Tinkerbell," Iridessa soughed. "Be more truthful. We all know that's not why you're so somber."

"Believe it or not," Silvermist spoke quietly. "It wasn't your body that became- and still is- sick."

Tinkerbell looked up at the gentle water fairy. "Eh...?" she hiccuped.

Silvermist blinked. "It's your heart that is sick."

"..."

There was silence in the infirmary. They all knew that was the real truth. Tinkerbell looked down at her sodden hands, fighting back tears. _Why? Why do I have so much painful feelings when I think about Terence? _Her lips quivered. _Am I afraid of losing our friendship? Or is it something else...?_

* * *

"Terence."

"...hm?"

"You like me, you know."

"..."

"Say it. Say that you like me."

Terence furrowed his brows. "Stella," he murmured. "I..." He looked into her expectant honey-brown eyes. "...I..." _No, I can't. If it's not Tinkerbell...I just... _"Have to get back to work." _Choke. _He pulled away from the brunette's caress, averting her gaze. _Man, what did I get myself into?_

"What's wrong?" Stella whined impatiently. "Why did you pull away so suddenly?"

"I-it's nothing," Terence tried to wave her away. "I just that I don't like uh...being hugged and whatnot."

"Liar."

"Excuse me?"

"You let TINKERBELL hug you!" Stella fought back, fire in her eyes. "And you hug her back just as affectionately!"

Anger welled up within Terence in hearing this. "Well that's because Tink is- !" He stopped. "She is..." _What is this? _He found that he could not finish that statement no matter how much his brain told his voice to verbalize the next few words. "Is..."

Stella's sharp golden eyes pierced through his wavering sapphire ones. To her, his emotions were more transparent than the clearest water. "Someone special to you," she finished for him in a distasteful voice.

Terence looked away, gritting his teeth. _No need to say that out loud._

"I really...REALLY don't understand," Stella whimpered. "Why can't you like me, too?" She bowed her head as she began to shed bitter tears. "I'm just as pretty, talented, and fun as Tinkerbell. You like her but not ME. Why is that!?"

Terence was taken back by this. He never expected Stella to break down so easily. But in her words, he sympathized her. "That's because it's different. Tink-"

"What? What about Tinkerbell!?"

"...Tink is Tink." Terence could feel his heart lighten from that half-confession. "And you're you. I, as I was before and as I am now, like Tinkerbell for who she is. And no matter how hard I try, I just can't move on from these feelings spreading freely within me. To me, Tink is someone that can't be replaced."

_No. I don't want to hear this. _"Then why!?" Stella screamed in anguish. "Why did you ask me to go with you to the Winter Ball!? Were you just toying with my feelings then!? That's...that's really..." Her knees began to weaken from beneath her.

"Stella..." Terence winced at the guilt that grasped his pained conscience.

"You know," Stella grieved. "I was so happy when you asked me to that ball. It was like a dream come true." Her long, brown locks fell over her shoulders. "I thought, 'My Prince charming has finally seen me!' But now, to find it all to have been a lie, I..." She trailed off, her throat aching.

Terence put a hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her despondency. "I'm sorry," he said soberly. "I shouldn't have asked you to the Winter Ball without my feelings being earnest. If only I thought about it a little more-"

"Leave."

"What?"

"I said leave!" Stella screeched and pushed him away with a blast of dust. "I don't want your stupid apologies! Just...just go already!"

_Stella, I didn't know you felt that way. _Terence walked out from the peach tree they sat under and took flight. "What's wrong with me?" he grumbled. "First, I hurt Tink now Stella, too? I really am an awful being." He landed by the pond to look into the water. "This is too depressing..."

"Hey, you."

"Gah!" Terence nearly fell into the icy water but managed to keep his balance. He quickly turned around. "Vidia!? Sheesh, don't sneak up on me like that." He fixed his appearance a little and cleared his throat. "So uh...something I can help you with?"

Vidia shot him a dirty look. "I heard from loudmouth Fairy Gary that you had um...a 'voice-taker'? Made by none other than Tinkerbell herself."

Terence rose an uncertain brow. "Well...yeah..." he muttered and took out the small, metallic device from his pocket. "You mean this? It helps me remember the people I have to make deliveries to. That way, it's safe for me to forget my clipboard sometimes."

_I don't really care as to what YOU need for, you dork. _"Let me borrow that for a bit," she demanded.

"Why?"

"My reasons are my own."

"You're asking me to let you borrow something that's mine and you won't tell me why?"

"I'm not ASKING, I'm TELLING you to let me borrow that thing!"

"Well then NO!"

Vidia's eyes glinted dangerously. "You really do not want to challenge me..." she threatened. "For if you do I wil take that thing and NEVER give it back until I have finished with it thoroughly!"

Terence stuck his tongue out at her. "As if you could take this-" Before he could finish, he found that the voice-taker was missing from his hand. "...h-huh!?"

"Ahem."

The blonde looked back at Vidia, who was smirking at him with the voice-taker in her hands. "That's dirty, Vidia," he said darkly. "It's too sly."

"Thank you for your compliments but I don't really want them," Vidia yawned and lifted herself off from the fern she stood on. "Be seeing you, whatever-your-name-was. And hopefully, by that time, you and that useless tinker have reconciled." She swung her long, black hair and disappeared in a violet blur.

_How do wind fairies fly that fast? It's crazy! _Terence scratched his head. "And what did she mean by what she just said?"


	9. Chapter 9

"The Winter Ball is in two days!!" an announcer fairy declared at the podium. "If you still haven't gotten a date yet, now and tomorrow are your last chances! Hurry!"

There was an excited murmur among the crowd below. Couples held hands while guys whispered and female fairies giggled. Tinkerbell's eyes fell downcast. _That announcement sure took a stab. I'm not even going to that boring ball. _She sighed and turned to leave.

"T-T-Ti-Tinkerbell!"

"Hm?" Tinkerbell turned back around and found herself closely looking at the face of the silver-haired announcer. "Er, hello, Drew...?"

Drew laughed, letting out a snort while at it. "Um...uh...I heard the rumors about you."

_It's starting again. _"That's nice. Well, bye then..." Tinkerbell began walking away, flushed red with shame and humility. _Those rumors are really destroying my reputation. Even the dorky fairy in Pixie Hollow thinks badly of me now! _She was brought back to reality when she felt something bony and rough grab her arm. She looked back and scowled. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Let go! You're hurting my arm!"

"O-oh!" Drew retreated his hand. "Sor-sorry about that," he said earnestly. "It's just that I wasn't going to say anything bad! So please...don't go."

Tinkerbell secretly rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to face him. "What do you want then?"

_My! She's as beautiful as they say! Regardless of the other things... _Drew took a deep breath. "Would you consider going to the ball with me?" he asked hurriedly, face turning redder than a tomato. "I-I re-really like y-you, Tinkerbell, a-and um...er..." He gulped. "I'd...I'd really appr-reciate it of y-you would go with m-me as my d-d-d-date." He quickly hid his red face, afraid of her stare and anxious of her answer.

"...!?" Tinkerbell stood frozen, eyes wide and cheeks tinted pink. "Drew, I-"

"I never believed those rumors, just so you know!" Drew cut her off in a panic. "You... I don't believe you're that kind of person."

_Oh, Drew. You're so nice but...to be your date? _Tinkerbell conveyed a warm smile. "Drew," she spoke kindly. "That's very nice of you. And I'm truly grateful that you believe in me so much as to really see the truth." Her smile disappeared. "But I'm afraid I can't return your feelings."

Drew gave a look of devastation and then bowed his head. "...I see."

"It's not that you're a bad guy or anything it's just that...that..." Tinkerbell closed her eyes, trying to find an answer. "I don't feel like my heart is with me right now. It sounds strange but that's how I really feel. I don't want to end up hurting you in the end. I'm sorry."

It was reluctant, but still a nod that Drew struggled to give. "He's really lucky," he mumbled.

"Who is?"

"The fairy that's keeping your heart."

Tinkerbell could hear herself gasp at that statement. _That fairy keeps my- I never thought of it that way. _She blinked sadly. "You wouldn't happen to know who that fairy may be would you?" she asked timidly. She received a negative answer. "Oh..."

Drew stretched his wings. "Well, I'd better get to work," he sighed. "Busy day today. Bye, Tinkerbell." He ascended. "If you ever change your mind, let me know!"

"Hmm." _I feel guilty. Unrequited love really is painful. _Tinkerbell turned to leave but instantly stood frozen, eyes wide. "...!!" Before her was Terence looking back at her with the same expression. "Terence..."

Terence's fixed gaze refused to waver. _W-what do I do? I... Tink, I- _He found the strength to move again and shot up into the air.

"Terence, wait!"

_No, not yet. _Terence could hear the rapid beating of Tinkerbell's wings along with that of his heart. He dodged branches and bushes here and there, skidded the sharp surfaces of ponds and lakes, and even spiraled through narrow tunnels. Despite those obstacles, he still could not shake Tinkerbell off. He gritted his teeth. _Why won't she give up!? _

Tinkerbell barely managed to dodge a branch. "Why are you avoiding me!?" she cried.

Terence stopped abruptly. _Avoidance... _"Umph!" he grunted when Tinkerbell crashed into him from behind. The two of them were instantly knocked out of the air, headed towards the ground. _We're going down so fast. I can't even think! _

"Kyaaah!" Tinkerbell screamed as she instinctively grasped Terence's sleeve.

"Hang on!" Terence reacted quickly and held onto her tightly as he brought the two of them to equilibrium. They stumbled into a rose bush, his body shielding the dazed tinker from the thorns. They finally made to the ground with a thud. The world seemed to spin and all noise brought pain to their ears. Terence shook away his dizziness and looked around, his vision slightly blurry. "...what a fall that was." He heard a soft groan from his arms and opened them.

Tinkerbell slowly came to be, her hand on her head. "I-I'm sorry..." she muttered. "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's okay." Terence allowed her to stand up first before making the attempt himself. He pushed himself up but quickly came back down again. "Ahk!" he cried in pain, holding his ankle. His whole left leg felt like it was being ripped apart. The ankle itself was a blazing inferno.

"Terence!" Tinkerbell gasped and knelt down beside him. "What's wrong?"

Terence averted her gaze the best he could. "Nothing- I'm fine!" He grunted as he hoisted himself up. As soon as he placed his foot on the ground, the flesh-tearing feeling came again. Wincing, he quickly picked his foot back up again. "Ugh..."

Tinkerbell noticed this and frowned. "You... You're hurt."

"No, I'm not. It's just a little scratch."

"Stop lying!"

Terence tried to make his escape but was effortlessly caught by the arm. "Tinkerbell," he sighed. "Just so you know, I...I'm not-" He saw the pleading look in her eyes. "...I AM avoiding you." The dust keeper tore away from her sorrowful stare. "I'm sorry. I just don't have the courage to face you."

The tinker expressed a look of surprise. "The courage?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

Terence licked his lips as he leaned on a stem of a wilted rose. "...I made you cry."

Tinkerbell could feel a warm yet saddening feeling embrace her heart at those words. They were so earnest. The very lips of which they came from belonged to an honest fairy that had been foolish enough to take it upon himself to compensate for his mistakes by avoiding her. She felt tears gather in her eyes. Those tears held empathy and happiness. "You dummy," she sniffed, trying her best to smile. "Don't feel bad about that. Everyone cries." She sat down next to him. "Why should I be any different?"

"Because I care about you, that's why!" Terence blurted.

Tinkerbell's cheeks reddened. "Terence..." she gasped in shock. She was given a small item. She looked at it more closely and discovered its true identity. "My pendant! When did-"

"I found it outside your house," Terence cut in. "I can't believe you. First, you throw away my heart- my feelings. Now, you're discarding what ever is left between us?" He shook his head. "How heartless."

_I can't breathe. Terence, did he...what was that? _"I didn't throw it away!" Tinkerbell argued. "It was Stella who came to my house and suddenly..." Her voice trailed off. She could feel herself shaking from her own emotions.

"Stella?" Terence's eyes darkened. "What about Stella?"

Tinkerbell placed a hand over her heart. _You idiot. Terence is in love with Stella, not YOU. He's going to the ball with her, not YOU. _"Nothing," she uttered. "I-it's...nothing..." She lowered her head. _What is this feeling? I suddenly feel so disappointed and sad. I feel like running away. _Her heart jumped when she felt Terence's long fingers wrap around her wrists and tug her towards him. "Ah!"

"Tink, what ABOUT Stella?" Terence demanded, anger in his eyes.

"Like I said, it's nothing! Just forget it!"

"Answer me honestly!"

"I can't!

"Why not!?"

"Because...because..." Tinkerbell clenched her hands into fists. "You're in love with her!" She heard a soft gasp escape Terence's lips as his hold loosened. "If it's like that, then I don't want to say anything. I don't...want you to be unhappy because of me."

"..."

Tinkerbell saw the hurt look on the dust keeper's pale face and quickly added, "For what I said, just ignore it, okay? I was too caught up. I didn't think. So um, please just forget about it all and ju-" She fell silent when she found herself looking at Terence's chest right in front of her. His arms enveloped her petite body protectively. _What in the world? _The feeling of his fingers tightening around her wrists made her stomach flutter.

Terence buried his face in her hair, taking in her sweet-pea scent. "You idiot," he whispered hoarsely. "How exactly do you see me in your eyes?"

Tinkerbell felt chills run through her body. "Terence, your ankle," she shuddered. "You're in pain, aren't you? You should rest."

Terence pulled away and gazed into her sapphire eyes. "Tink, I've BEEN in pain," he said firmly. "Most of it is in my heart. And it's all because of you. Everything!" He saw the devastated look on her face. "Don't you get it, Tink? In the end, I couldn't go to the ball with Stella. It's not HER I'm in love with!"

"...!!" Tinkerbell's heartbeat quickened. _Tell me. Just tell me! _She closed her eyes tightly.


	10. Chapter 10

Stella paced her room, anxiously biting her thumb. _I've gotta find a way to make that no-good dust keeper pay! How dare he dump ME? I'm not letting this go! _She flew to the second floor and looked through her closet. "Hm, no," she mumbled. "This definitely won't do. Not this either." A knock came from her door. "Coming!" She closed her closet and went down to open the door. Behind it was Zen, a big smile on his face. She scowled. "Oh, it's you."

Zen's smile vanished. "Aw, don't be like that," he whined and let himself in.

"What do you want, Zen?" the impatient brunette asked. "I'm kind of busy right now so hurry it up." She rose an eyebrow when the tinker took a long strand of her hair and brought it to his lips. "What the- what are you doing!?"

Zen looked up at her devilishly. "Hm," he chuckled. "Just admiring how silky and fragrant my girlfriend's beautiful hair is."

Stella pushed him away, shivering. "Ew, don't even say that!" she snapped. "I'm not your girlfriend!" She picked up a brush and ran it through the tainted strand.

"What are you talking about, honey?" Zen wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I thought we had a deal. I play as Tinkerbell's 'date', everything would go wrong for her, you and Terence get together, he dumps you, you go to the ball with ME." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Eek!" Stella flinched at the kiss and pushed him away again. "O-of course not! After all, who said I was dumped!?"

Zen flipped his bangs and smirked. "Oh, please," he scoffed. "I saw the whole thing between you and Terence the other day. You were obviously D-U-M-P-E-D, dumped. Don't try to act innocent out of this."

"I'm not giving up on Terence!" Stella vowed. "Just wait and see; he'll be mine!"

_This chick... _Zen shoved her to the floor, his eyes burning with rage. "I'm giving you ONE day," he warned. "The Winter Ball is in two days. If you can't get that little pretty dust keeper to be your date by sunset tomorrow, well then suck up your pride because you're gonna be MY date. Got it?" He angrily stomped out the door.

Stella held her now bruised arm. "I won't lose," she choked. "I will definitely...get my Prince!"

"After that pitiful display? Pfft! I don't think so."

"Oh!" Stella looked up and found Vidia standing by the doorway, smugly looking down at her. She quickly stood on her feet and flew to the wind fairy. "Were you EAVESDROPPING?" she asked in disbelief. "You...you're too much, you know that!?"

Vidia pretended to look shocked. "Oh, my!" she snickered. "What is this? The sweet, sugary, soapy-mouthed, 'Pixie Hollow beauty' has suddenly turned so rash and loud."

"..."

Vidia's amethyst eyes emitted an ominous glow. "That's a surprise." She fixed her hair in an arrogant manner. "Just kidding. I know better than the other fairies just how much of a backstabbing witch you are!" _That's right- provoke her._

Stella could feel her blood boil at that remark. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Like you're one to talk!" she hissed. "You ugly, two-faced baboon!"

_Lame. _"Oh, I am SO hurt."

"Urgh...!!" _Wait! _Stella got a hold of herself. As soon as she found a way to calm her spirits a bit, a smirk formed on her lips. "Oh, Vidia," she giggled mischievously. "Don't you think it's sad? How you're taking out your anger on me like this just because no one will believe you and Tinkerbell?"

_She's almost there. Just a little more. _"Just you wait!" Vidia tried her best to sound earnestly threatening. "Everyone in Pixie Hollow will discover the truth!"

"Hmph, Pixie Hollow? HA!" Stella threw her head back as she let out a menacing laugh. "These idiot fairies will believe everything I say. They're worse than ants. They can't think for themselves at all!" She sat down on the doorstep. "But since I made the first impression of leadership, there's no way they'll even turn their heads towards anyone but me unless I permit it."

Vidia rolled her eyes. "You're way too full of yourself," she muttered. "Queen Clarion is of MUCH higher authority than you. She rules all of Pixie Hollow for crying out loud!"

"Oh, please."

_Wow she's actually going to argue on that. _Vidia blinked. "...?"

Stella looked at her well-formed nails, smiling triumphantly. "I far exceed Queen Clarion's beauty," she boasted. "Once her time comes and she disappears, I'll definitely be the fairy to take her place as Queen. And once that happens, I'll have complete control of everything and everyone here. And Terence will also be MINE!"

"All this for some fairy that hardly even stands out?"

"I don't plan on giving him up to that ugly tinker!" Stella protested. "He WILL be mine no matter what! We're destined for each other!"

"...you're crazy."

"Hm, perhaps." Stella stood up and headed back inside her house. "Get lost before I knock the wind out of you," she spat. "Your face annoys me. I don't wanna see it." She swung her long, brown hair and slammed the door shut behind her.

A sly smile crept onto Vidia's face. _That fool. She totally fell for it. _She retrieved from her pocket the voice-taker and pressed the 'STOP TAKING VOICE' button. "No one will believe me, eh?" she laughed quietly. "Let's just see who will believe YOU after they hear this."

* * *

"It's not her..." Terence grunted, wincing in pain.

"Th-then...who?" Tinkerbell asked nervously. She felt as though Terence could hear her heart as well. It scared her just thinking about it. The distance. The warmth. The strange feelings coursing through her. It was just too much. "Err...Terence, I-" She took a step back but instead tripped on a small rock. "Ahh!" she squeaked as she plummeted to the ground, bringing Terence down with her.

"Oof!" Terence's shoulders rose as he hit the ground. The pain in his ankle was pretty bad after all, but he took no heed to that. "Tink, what happened!?"

"S-s-sorry!" Tinkerbell stuttered, her blush deepening. "I didn't see the rock and I-I...oh...I'm so sorry Terence!"

Terence merely smiled in amusement. "You're as clumsy as always," he chuckled. "It's no wonder everyday is fun when it's spent with you." He looked down at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Tink. I really didn't mean for you to cry."

Tinkerbell frowned and said, "Forget about it. It wasn't your fault." She found that Terence was still unconvinced and decided to change the subject. "Can I ask you something, Terence?"

"What is it?"

"...how do you...know when you're in love?"

Terence gave a look that told Tinkerbell the question took him by surprise. Taking a moment to think, he quietly replied, "Well, there are various ways of knowing. The ones I'm familiar with, I'll tell you."

Tinkerbell nodded. "A-alright..." she mumbled.

"When you're with a certain fairy, your heart begins to beat faster. You're suddenly filled with unexplained happiness and anxiousness." Terence dared not let go of Tinkerbell's fixated eyes. "Day by day, you get this urge to be with that fairy. Waking up mornings, that is the very first thought in your mind. You'll also begin to notice that you can't look at others the same way; you don't receive the same feelings." He sighed. "No matter how much time passes, that fairy is the only one in your heart. That will then lead to the conclusion that this one single fairy is the only one you want to be with for as long as your feelings will last. THAT feeling...I believe determines love."

Tinkerbell looked at Terence in awe. Those very feelings he just described flowed into her heart, making her smile. "Is it also love when we feel we can throw our life away for that fairy?" she asked.

Terence nodded. "Strongest love there is," he whispered.

"Terence."

"Hm?"

"...I think I'm in love with you."

Terence's eyes widened. He felt as though his heart had just skipped several beats. _What did she just say? _He couldn't even blink. All he could see was Tinkerbell's wide, shimmering blue eyes that begged for a reply. "Tink..."

_Oh, no. He's going to reject me. _Tinkerbell fought back the urge to cry, trying to hide her flushed face. "No! I-I-I mean...uh...I'm sorry! I guess I got too caught up in the moment and said something unnecessary. Please, just forget that you heard that."

Terence looked away. "I can't do that."

Tinkerbell could not find the strength to oppose. "..."

"Tink, tell me honestly; how do you feel about me?" Terence looked at her with a pained expression. "I...I want to know."

Tinkerbell sat on her knees, deep in thought. She then gazed into Terence's solemn cerulean eyes, shuddering lightly at the feeling of him piercing into her soul. "When I'm with you," she breathed. "My heart beats so fast I feel as though it might just suddenly stop."

Terence could feel his body grow warm at the sound of her timid voice.

"Terence?"

"Eh?"

"I'm sorry for confessing when you already have someone you like," Tinkerbell sniffed, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "It was really...really stupid of me to...do that..." She cried even harder, unable to take the humiliating feeling. "Please, forgive me! I seriously didn't mean it. It was just...I-I...I-" All the things she wanted to say were instantly forgotten when Terence pulled her into a tight embrace. Her eyes released more tears as she sat there, frozen. _How shameless. My heart can't help but feel happy in this situation. I hate myself._

"STUPID!!" Terence shouted.

Tinkerbell jumped a little. "...!"

Terence pulled the blonde closer to him, resting his head on the crook of her neck. "You have no idea just how happy I am right now," he told her. "Hearing you say that...I can't believe it."

Tinkerbell let out another sob. _Terence, how can you be happy? You should be angry with me! _

Terence pulled away for a second, looking at Tinkerbell in the eye. "Tink, don't you understand yet?" he shook her lightly. "The one I'm in love with. It's..." He saw her weeping form and bit his lower lip. _What do I do? She's totally convinced that she did me wrong. _Mustering up all the courage he had, he cupped her cheek and slowly began pushing his face towards hers. _Don't cry anymore, Tink. I don't like seeing you this way. _

Tinkerbell saw his face inching towards hers. At that moment, her tears stopped coming. Her heart was at work again, beating mercilessly against her chest.

"There's no need to cry," Terence whispered and began to close his eyes.

"...hn." _I can feel his breath. He's...he's so close. _She closed her eyes as well, submitting to his captivating aura. _How did things end up like this? _The tips of their lips touched each other lightly, almost meeting the whole way.

"Oh, it's them!"

"Gah!!" Terence and Tinkerbell immediately separated, looking upwards to find who had just spoken.

A giggling Fawn gracefully dodged the thorny branches and made her way down to the flustered pair. "I heard something crash nearby and was wondering what it was," she claimed. "And I find you guys! What happened!?"

It took a while to take in what just happened before Terence and Tinkerbell began to stir. "Well err...you see-" Terence started.

"I was in a hurry to get somewhere, flying really fast," Tinkerbell continued. "And then I bumped into Terence- literally- and we fell in here. A-and now he um, he has a sprained ankle and I was just trying to help him up! Yeah..."

Fawn nodded. "Oh," she hummed. "I see. Well then Tinkerbell, since you seem fine, come with me to get help. We might need your help to carry some things over." She took out her dust pouch and sprinkled some pixie dust on Tinkerbell. "There. I'm sorry if it's not much. It was all I had left." _Shoot! I could have used it on Terence! _She mentally slapped herself.

"R-right..." Tinkerbell stood up and looked back at Terence. He looked back at her indifferently. Shrugging off what just happened, she flew away with Dawn. _What happened just now... Was it all just my imagination? _

"Don't worry, Terence!" Fawn waved to him. "We'll be right back to get you! Hang on for a bit longer!"

Terence reluctantly waved back, putting on his best smile. "I'm counting on you," he replied. _Did I only imagine that confession and about-to-be kiss? I don't know anymore. _He sighed and shook his head. "I feel so dizzy right now."


	11. Chapter 11

Fairy Mary and Fairy Gary exited the infirmary with contented faces. Tinkerbell and her friends immediately rushed up to them and flooded the two with anxious questions. "How is Terence's ankle?" Tinkerbell pushed impatiently. "Is the injury that bad?"

"His head is okay, right?" Iridessa added.

"C'mmon, Fairy Mary and Fairy Gary," Fawn begged.

"Tell us everything!" all five fairies demanded at once.

Fairy Mary waved them away with her lime-green fan. "Oh, where ARE your manners!?" she chastised and began fanning herself. "1...2...3...4..." Taking a deep breath, she then said, "Terence is fine. The nurse said that his ankle was just sprained a little. He should be able to recover within a week or two."

Fairy Gary scratched his head. "Aye, but now look," he sighed. "My best dust keeper is having a long absence."

Fairy Mary shot him a glare. "Oh, don't be so selfish!" she nudged him. "Let the lad have his rest. He certainly deserves it."

"Yer right, yer right..."

"Well then, it's best we returned to work." Fairy Mary and Fairy Gary ascended to the sky. "Take care of yourselves now!"

As soon as the two were gone, Silvermist heaved a sigh. "Poor Terence," she sympathized. "This is so tragic for him! He was looking forward to the Winter Ball." She swept her bangs aside and looked down at the floor. "I pity him..."

Rosetta nodded in agreement. "What a shame."

Fawn gave Tinkerbell a pat on the back. "Sorry about that, Tinkerbell," she said. "It looks like you can't go together."

"..." Tinkerbell lit a knowing smile. "Who said I was going to the Winter Ball?" She turned to meet the shocked faces of her friends. "I'm going to stay here in the infirmary that day. I will be by Terence's side so that he doesn't feel lonely." She held her own hand close to her heart. "That's what true friends do after all."

A giggle emitted from the group. "You still call the relationship between you and Terence 'friendship'?" Iridessa asked.

Tinkerbell's cheeks began to turn bright red at that. "O-of course!" Memories of her moment alone with Terence within the rosebush flashed within her mind. Her heart jumped. "It's...it's gotta be. I mean, uh...we-"

"Sure, sure." Fawn pushed Tinkerbell towards the infirmary.

"Whoa!" Tinkerbell squeaked and scowled. "What was that for!?"

Iridessa winked at her, giggling. "We know you want to go in there." She waved. "Good luck!"

Silvermist smiled warmly at the blonde. "Go see him."

Tinkerbell studied her friends. _They're all encouraging me. I can't let their efforts go to waste. _She smiled back. _No matter what, I won't fail this time. I'll definitely... _She held a thumbs up and winked, bangs swept by a gentle breeze. _...do my best! _With a burst of joy, she dashed into the infirmary, eager to meet with her best friend.

"How romantic," Fawn sighed dreamily, batting her long eyelashes. The others agreed, nodding their heads and smiling at each other.

* * *

Terence stared at the ceiling, unable to blink. The cotton pillow beneath his head cushioned his heavy thoughts nicely as they formed in clusters within the very depths and surfaces of his mind. _Kiss or no kiss? Kiss or no kiss? Argh, Fawn this is all your fault! _His ears picked up on the sound of his room's door clicking open.

"Terence?" Tinkerbell's soft voice drifted into the ivory room.

_GAH! It's her! _He quickly turned t his side and closed his eyes, feigning unconsciousness.

Tinkerbell slid the curtains aside and found Terence fast asleep on the bed. "Oh..." she moaned and sat on the chair beside him. "Terence, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Her eyes remained focused on his sleeping form. _He looks so peaceful right now. _

Terence mentally frowned. _Tink, what are you saying sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong! _He exhaled quietly.

"I shouldn't have crashed into you like that," Tinkerbell continued, completely oblivious to the dust keeper's facade. "Now, because of me, you're in the infirmary and out cold. You're ankle is sprained- you can't make it to the Winter Ball." A small, anguished sigh came from her mouth, which she quickly stifled with a trembling hand.

"..." Terence felt his heart drop. Having to hear the grieving tinker confess her guilt instead of her love- which he wanted- struck his heart with a laden illness.

"Since you can't even hear me anyway," Tinkerbell scented, blushing a little. "I just want to say that...honestly, in my heart..." She looked away, finding no courage to finish in front of Terence. Hesitation was evident from the long pause, but she finally said, "I really wanted to go to the Winter Ball with you."

Terence held back a shocked gasp when he heard this. _Then...then why did you decide to go with that Zen!?_

Tinkerbell bowed her head, her ears now just as red as her face. "It's not just you, Terence," she sniffed. "Me...me, too." She now turned to face him. "I also want to know how you feel about me. If this is one-sided love, I wish you'd just tell me! Because waiting and waiting...not knowing the outcome of anything I decide to do or say..." She squeezed her own hand. "It's such an awful feeling!"

"..."

"It hurts one day and the pain just gets worse and worse the longer I wait. I don't know how much longer I can endure it!" Tinkerbell gasped when she felt something strong and warm grab her shoulders. She looked up to meet the lips of the once-sleeping Terence. Her eyes widened as he deepened the kiss. _H-how did this...happen!? _

Terence quickly pulled away, his face just as red as Tinkerbell's. "Stop!" he panted. "Just...just...stop...!"

"...!?" Tinkerbell's arms limply fell to her side. She was still in disbelief as to what just happened to her. _He. What. I. Am I...did he...? HUH!?_

_Oh, boy. She's out of it. WAY out. _Terence waved his hand in front of her unblinking eyes. "Tink?" he called. "Tink? Earth to Tinkerbell!" Nothing. _Err...maybe I shouldn't have done that. _He cleared his throat, trying to calm his maddened heart. "If you don't snap out of it, I might just have to repeat that 'surprise'. Well?"

As though by magic, Tinkerbell instantly came to be. Unfortunately, what replaced her bewilderment was anger. "Y-y-you...!" she fumed, pointing an accusing finger at Terence.

Terence instinctively retreated. "What?" he asked sheepishly.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!?" Tinkerbell screamed at the top of her lungs. "That was...totally...uncalled for!"

Terence held back a small laugh. "I'm sorry," he grinned. "I didn't know you were so shy. If I had known, I wouldn't have kissed you so suddenly." He looked at her apologetically, now starting to feel guilty for what he had done. "...I went too far, didn't I?"

To the dust keeper's surprise, Tinkerbell shook her head. "It's not that it's just..."

"What?"

"...that was my first kiss!" Tinkerbell looked away in shame. "I don't know if I should be happy or sad!" _Happy that it was taken by the fairy I really like. _She inhaled and exhaled to calm her shaken nerves.

Terence furrowed his brows, slightly offended. "What's the sad part?" he questioned in an uncertain voice.

"That my first kiss will soon be forgotten; erased by new kisses."

"...do you really think that I would do something that cruel?" Terence placed his warm hand on Tinkerbell's own cool one. "Tink, ever since you came to Pixie Hollow, all my eyes can see is you. If anything, I should be the one to worry. I mean, you were supposed to go with Zen to the Winter Ball, weren't you?"

Tinkerbell looked at him as though he were the craziest being alive. "No, I declined."

"You declined? Really?"

"Yes! Anyway, how did you know about Zen?"

"I..." Before Terence could finish, the nurse appeared and tapped Tinkerbell on the shoulder.

"Visiting hours are now over," the charming strawberry-blond nurse informed the tinker. "You will have to come back tomorrow." She saw the disappointment in Tinkerbell's eyes and sighed. "Don't worry, sweetie. Your boyfriend will be just fine."

Tinkerbell's first reaction would be to oppose that. But for some reason, she didn't. "Yeah," came her short reply as she made her exit. _I should've said something against that! Terence and I aren't together! ...or are we? I don't know. I'm so confused right now. _She rubbed her temple.

Terence's eyes refused to leave the door that closed after Tinkerbell's leave. _She didn't say anything. _A glimmer of hope welled up within him. "Is it possible...?"

"Hm?" the nurse chimed. "Did you say something, Terence?"

"Oh, uh, no. Sorry about that, Nurse Alena." Terence buried himself under the white sheets and heaved a sigh. _Tink, just what kind of thoughts go on inside that mind of yours? _He turned on his stomach, letting out a soft grunt. "It's killing me..." he grumbled into the pillow. "Thinking as deeply as this."

* * *

"I hope Terence's ankle gets better soon..." Tinkerbell hugged herself as she floated out of the infirmary.

"HA! I KNEW IT!"

Tinkerbell snapped out of her trance at the sound of that familiar yet detested voice. A scowl quickly appeared on her once-thoughtful face as she spat, "Stella. And her angry mob." She placed a hand on her hip. "Why are you guys here?"

Stella mentally smirked at the tinker, her sadistic laugh echoing in her mind. _This will be my greatest performance yet. _"See, I told you!" Stella cried, jumping into a nearby dust keeper's arms. "Terence is in that infirmary right now. Tinkerbell just came from visiting him- feeling guilty of what she did!"

_What the!? How did she know!? _"Well of course someone would visit their friend to apologize!" Tinkerbell reasoned.

"You're really despicable," Rick spoke in a low, infuriated voice. "I can't believe you'd purposely trip Terence while he's making errands in a neighborhood! That's just...childish!"

Tinkerbell's mouth opened in the form of a big 'O' at this. "Trip him while he-" _Ugh, I feel like slapping all of them! _"How is it that you fairies are so easily deceived by that conniving little witch!?" she asked, pointing at Stella. "Can't you see that she's just taking you all for fools and playing with you!?"

"Enough already!" a water fairy shouted. "You're just jealous of Stella!"

"What could I be possible jealous about!?"

"The fact that she's pretty, talented, has lots of friends, and WAS going to the ball with Terence to the ball until you purposely tripped him!"

"Now he has a sprained ankle and can't go," Rick remarked. "This was all part of your plan wasn't it, Tinker-loser?" He blew what seemed like a hurricane of golden dust at her, making her flail and cough. "Well brilliant; IT WORKED."

Tinkerbell fanned the dust from her hair and eyelashes, trying to regain her eyesight. "But why are you being so mean about it?" she asked forlornly.

Rick humphed. "We're not being mean. We're just standing up for a bullied friend."

Stella pretended to gasp in surprise and gave Rick a hug. "I'm so moved!" she giggled. "Thank you, everyone! You're all so good to me." She then looked back at Tinkerbell, secretly snickering at the blonde's misfortune. "That bad tinker should finally be learning her lesson right about now."

**_"I'm not giving up on Terence! Just wait and see; he'll be mine!"_**

Everyone stopped what they were doing to take the time to find the source of that voice. "Was that...YOU, Stella?" Rick broached, arching an eyebrow.

Stella quickly shook her head. "N-no way! It couldn't be!" _Where is this coming from!?_

"It couldn't possibly be," a garden fairy with light-brown hair and green eyes commented. "That sounded WAY too mean. Not to mention obsessive."

**_"Oh, Vidia. Don't you think it's sad? How you're taking out your anger on me like this just because no one will believe you and Tinkerbell?"_**

Every fairy turned to look at the baffled Stella, certain conclusions now evident within their eyes. "It IS you!" they said at the same time. They heard a melodic giggle from a nearby tree and snapped their heads towards it.

From the shadows emerged Vidia, voice-taker right at hand and a triumphant smile on her face. "Checkmate," she announced, looking right at Stella.

"Vidia!" Rick acknowledged.

Vidia put on a headstrong front and held up the voice-taker. "This will prove just how much Stella has lied to you all!" she told them. "Her true, UGLY, and deceiving side!" _I warned you. _She pushed the 'PLAY' button. Her burning, violet eyes remained fixed on Stella's trembling form. _You messed with the WRONG fairy._


	12. Chapter 12

**_"Just you wait! Everyone in Pixie Hollow will discover the truth!" _**

**_"Hmph, Pixie Hollow? HA! These idiot fairies will believe everything I say. They're worse than ants. They can't think for themselves at all! But since I made the first impression of leadership, there's no way they'll even turn their heads towards anyone but me unless I permit it."_**

A low murmur emerged within the group of fairies hat stood by Stella's side. One by one, each fairy shot the brunette a disdained look and then whispered into the other's ear. Some even looked back and forth between Tinkerbell and Vidia.

**_"I far exceed Queen Clarion's beauty. Once her time comes and she disappears, I'll definitely be the fairy to take her place as Queen. And once that happens, I'll have complete control of everything and everyone here. And Terence will also be MINE!"_**

"Stop it!" Stella screamed in horror. "Stop playing that...that...horrid THING!" She shuddered at the dark expressions that loomed over her. "Why are you...all looking at me like that? Can't you tell it's all a trick?"

Vidia smirked and continued to play the recording.

**_"All this for some fairy that hardly even stands out?"_**

_**"I don't plan on giving him up to that ugly tinker! He WILL be mine no matter what! We're destined for each other!"**_

"Whoa," a snow fairy with bleach-blond hair and frost-colored eyes sneered. "Talk about CRAZY." She placed a dainty hand on her mouth and laughed. "That sounded so pathetic it was almost sad!" From that rose more laughter.

Rick, however, was not amused. He looked at Stella and asked, "Why did you lie to us?"

The laughter immediately died down.

Stella took a few steps back, beyond stunned and now very much petrified. "N-no...no way!" she stammered. "It's...it's all a lie! I-I-I...I..." She could feel her cheeks growing warmer and warmer each second. "Tinkerbell and Vidia, they...oh, they set me up! It's no-not my f-fault!" She noticed realized that the angered fairies no longer believed a word she said. _No, this can't be happening... _Her knees gave way and she fell to the ground, eyes wide and filling up with cold tears.

"You're the worst!" a water fairy blurted.

"There's no way we're ever trusting you again!" another added.

The dust keepers held their scowls as they chanted, "Loser! Loser! Loser!"

A loud splash was heard. Everyone found that Vidia stood just behind Stella, a dripping bucket in her hand. Stella was soaked to the bone, shivering. "Get out of here," Vidia hissed. "No one wants to be your friend anymore. You've lost their trust. You're WORTHLESS."

Stella flinched at that last sentence. Her eyes were filled with a straining pain while her throat began to burn. "..." _Stella, say something! Make them stop! _She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep the cold air at bay. Memories of her doing the exact same thing to Tinkerbell not too long ago flashed before her tearful eyes. A shaky hand rose to her temple as a headache formed. _This is... Is this a clear case of 'you get what you deserve'? Or 'what goes around comes around'? _Another tear fell to the ground. "...I...don't like...it."

Soon, the other fairies began imitating Vidia's form of punishment. Garden fairies threw weeds and dead leaves at the brunette, laughing as they stuck to her damp body. Snow fairies threw snow balls while water fairies dumped more water on the broken dust keeper.

Vidia and some few other wind fairies gathered a whirlwind of copper-tinted dust and pebbles and launched it at the brunette. "Get lost already!" Vidia ordered crossly.

Stella was knocked out of balance and skidded along the the rocky ground. Her pride was beyond hurt, her ego torn to pieces, and her flawless, porcelain skin now filled with scrapes and cuts. She brought her hands to her face and began to cry. "No, please...!" she sobbed. "No more! It hurts!" She yelped when heavy dust was suddenly blown at her, covering her in what seemed like golden sand. "Please!"

"We don't have to listen to you!" Rick angrily bellowed and prepared for another attack. But before he could release it, he and the others were abruptly stopped in their tracks.

"STOP IT ALREADY!!!" Tinkerbell cried, stepping front of Stella and using her petite body as a shield. Her wing span seemed to have extended. She turned to Vidia, disbelief shown in her burning sapphire eyes. "Vidia, that's enough!"

Vidia glared at the tinker. "Oh, don't try to act all noble," she huffed. "After all that Stella did to you, made you feel... You KNOW you want to contribute to this 'punishment'. So don't act like you're better than us!"

Tinkerbell's expression softened as she lowered her arms. "I won't lie," she announced. "Stella...she makes me so mad. Even saying her name makes me want to brush my teeth."

_Worthless tinker._ Stella dug her nails into the soft earth, gritting her teeth.

"YEAH!!" the others chanted in agreement.

"But isn't this a bit much?" Tinkerbell impugned. That simple statement seemed to have stopped time. The fairies around the blonde looked at each other questioningly, whispering and shaking their heads.

Vidia threw the bucket aside. "Why are you defending her!?" she demanded of Tinkerbell. "This drama queen did so many bad things to you! Not to mention me, too... No one likes her! So why...!?" She could feel herself shaking from rage. "Why..."

"Hn." Tinkerbell shook her head, smiling warmly. "Because what you are doing to her right now, it's the same as what she has been doing to me and Vidia. Preying on someone who is vulnerable and pushed aside. That's really sad, I think."

Stella's eyes widened at this as she shifted from her position. "...!?"

"But I'm glad," Tinkerbell continued on. "Speaking like that, it's obvious right?" She looked right at Vidia and laughed. "Is it safe to assume that you care about me and my feelings, Vidia? That you consider me as....your friend?"

Everyone looked at Vidia, who was now blushing madly. "Wh-wh-what are you saying?" she stuttered. "What gave you such a disgusting thought!?"

Tinkerbell approached the wind fairy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did all this for me, right? You sounded so angry and emphasized on the wrong Stella did on me. Vidia, you...you stood up for me when I was weak."

_...impossible. _Vidia slapped Tinkerbell's hand away and took many steps back, gritting her teeth. "You fool!" she snapped. "Don't think so highly of yourself; I didn't do this for you! This was for ME. I...I will never forgive that witch for degrading me. So don't get the wrong idea!" She turned around and flew away.

"I still think you like me Vidia!" Tinkerbell called from behind.

"DO WHAT YOU LIKE! I DON'T CARE!" Vidia flapped her slender wings faster. _Ugh, why do I feel embarrassed? I should feel INSULTED! But... _She swallowed the anxious feeling within her. "A friend, huh?" she mumbled to herself. "DO I really...think that?"

Tinkerbell walked back to Stella and held out her hand. "Let's get you dried up before you catch a cold," she offered.

"Ugh!" Stella stood up sharply on her own, expression full of resentment. "Don't you DARE touch me, you useless tinker fairy!" she barked. "I don't need your pity. I don't need ANY of your pity at all!" She gasped when someone grabbed her wrist. Looking up, more tears fell. "...Ze-Zen..."

Zen looked at her sorrowfully. _Stella. _He turned to the others and said, "Please excuse us."

"Wait, what!?"

Without another word, Zen picked the brunette up bridal style and flew off with her. _This is all I can do for her right now. _He tightened his hold on her.

Stella, however, was not at all happy with this. She began beating on his chest, swinging her legs wildly. "Put me down!" she screamed. "Put me down, I said! Zen, you...you...PIG! Moron! Idiot! Ugh!"

"It's okay. Hurt me to your satisfaction." Zen could feel his eyes hurting. "Just...don't hurt yourself anymore."

"..." Stella immediately stopped, speechless. She looked up at Zen.

Zen dared not look at her, for fear that he could not keep his emotions at bay. "You've done enough," he uttered. "...stop forcing yourself." A single tear rolled down his cheek and was swept away by the wind. "Stop forcing yourself..."

_Stop forcing myself_.._.?_ Stella frowned. "What do YOU know..." she grumbled. "Don't act like you know me." _No one understands me._

"...I know enough." Zen forced a smile. _And I accept that. _He bliked away any remaining tears in his eyes.

Stella felt a sudden jerk in her heart, frowning even more at that feeling.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you sure?"

"Uhn, positive."

Tinkerbell heaved a sigh, eyes full of worry. "But Terence," she protested. "I don't feel too good leaving you alone here. It's...it's too lonely." She shook her head frantically. "No, I'm staying here! I don't care what you say!"

Terence smiled tenderly at the blonde. "Tink," he said, taking her hand. "It's okay, really. Tonight's the ball- you should go. I don't want you missing out."

"But, but...!"

"Please go." Terence gave her a puppy pout. "For me?"

_But what's the POINT? There's no one I can dance with. It's going to be so boring. I don't feel like going if he's not there. _Tinkerbell felt hurt, angry and betrayed. She thought that Terence, after just one day of revealing his feelings, no longer wanted to be by her side. That idea scared her. _No matter what, I HAVE to be by your side, Terence._

Terence could see the doubt and confusion in her eyes and sighed. "Please Tink...don't think as though I've grown tired of you."

Tinkerbell gasped. _It's like he can see right through me!_

"It's ridiculous thinking that, first of all, and I just want you to have fun with everyone tonight." A chuckle escaped the dust keeper's lips. "I'm such a nice guy, huh?"

"...too nice," Tinkerbell grumbled.

"Don't worry. I won't be lonely." Terence's hand left Tinkerbell's as he brought it to his chin. A mischievous thought crossed his mind. "Nurse Alena will be here to keep me company," snickered. "She's company and entertainment enough." He saw Tinkerbell's expression suddenly turn dark and gulped. "Sorry. Ju-just teasing. No need to get jealous..."

Tinkerbell let out an offended scoff. "I am not jealous! What do I need to be jealous about!?" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Terence appeared hurt at this. He sat up in bed with a soft grunt and looked at her sincerely in the eye. "If it were me, I'd definitely be jealous," he muttered quietly.

"...!" Tinkerbell could feel herself blushing, refusing to look at the dust keeper. "Stop saying cheesy things all of a sudden..." she huffed. "...it's embarrassing."

"Heh." Terence noticed her awkward stance and grinned sheepishly. "Alright then." He plopped back in bed, bringing the covers up to his nose. "Have fun at the ball! Tell me how it goes later!" He turned to his side and closed his eyes. _3...2...1..._

Tinkerbell whirled around. "I...!!" Seeing Terence's aloof state, she scowled. "Ugh, FINE. I'll go! Sheesh..."

Terence cringed at this, fighting the urge to laugh. "You're not mad at me, are you, Tink?" He heard the door slam. "Yeah...you are." Sighing sadly, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. _Boy, are you in for a surprise... _

* * *

Rosetta stepped out of the fitting room, wearing a strapless, red vintage prom dress with greyish-silver high heels. "What do you think?" she asked Iridessa, who stood right in front of her. "Isn't it just gorgeous?" She twirled around excitedly.

Iridessa, wearing a yellow cocktail dress, gave her a thumbs up. "It's lovely!" she complemented. "A perfect match for you."

Rosetta blushed and caressed her new dress lovingly. "Thank you, hun," she hummed.

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?"

Rosetta and Iridessa flinched at the loud bellowing that came from outside the fitting rooms. "Was that Tink?" Iridessa asked, despite already knowing the answer. "C'mmon. Let's go check it out." Shrugging, she and Rosetta payed for their new dresses and then flew outside to inspect. Sure enough, the lively tinker was on her rampage. They giggled in amusement and went to console her.

Tinkerbell, glowing bright red, was pacing around the bench Fawn and Silvermist sat on, fire in her eyes. "And you know, he said," she ranted. "And then I said...!"

"How long is this going to go on?" Fawn whispered to Silvermist.

"I don't know but this drama sounds exciting!" Silvermist whispered back and grinned happily. "Oh, and then what happened next?" she urged Tinkerbell on.

Fawn groaned and cringed. _It's her life story with Terence that she told us an hour before we got here!_

Tinkerbell placed her hands on her hips and replied, "Terence said that Nurse ALENA was entertainment and company enough. Can you believe that guy!? Humph!" She sat on the bench as well and swung her right leg over her left one. "Ugh, I am just so...MAD right now! Argh!"

"We can tell," Iridessa remarked.

The three fairies looked up to find the pair standing before them, chuckling. "Sweetie," Rosetta tuned. "We can hear you all the way from the fitting rooms. Is the Terence problem still nagging at you?"

"Like teacher on a delinquent," Fawn sighed.

"Hey!" Tinkerbell snapped.

"Sorry! Just...stating the truth..." Fawn fixed her bangs and placed a hand on Tinkerbell's shoulder. "Listen, I'm going to find a dress of my own now, okay? Tell the others about your story. I'm sure they can give better advice than me. Catch ya later!" She vanished in a flash.

Tinkerbell scowled. "Well that was rude. But then again, I can't blame her." Her wings drooped. "Even I'm getting tired of hearing myself complain."

Silvermist gave Tinkerbell a hug. "It's alright," she chided. "Terence hurt you. It's only natural that, given your open nature, you'd want to vent your feelings of frustrations to your friends. Don't worry- we're always here for you." Her eyes glanced at the dress shops before her.

Tinkerbell sensed this and blew on her bangs. "Go," she grumbled.

"Thank you!" Silvermist squealed and flew to the shop with all the blue dresses in it.

Rosetta helped Tinkerbell to her feet and pulled her to towards one of the shops. "C'mmon, little tinker," she persuaded. "We've gotta find you a perdy little dress of your own." They reached a quaint shop that gave a home-like feeling. "Oh, this place looks quite nice."

Tinkerbell snatched her arm back. "I don't want to go to the Winter Ball!" she fought stubbornly.

Iridessa pushed her into the shop. "Well you're gonna have to," she snickered. "After all, Terence WANTS you to go. You don't want to let him down, do you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then go!"

"BUT WHAT'S THE POINT!?" Tinkerbell cried as her two friends pushed her deeper into the store. She conveniently tumbled into the fitting rooms, angered and in a daze. She tried to turn back to the two, but met with a flurry of dresses. "GAH! What are these?"

"Try them on," Rosetta and Iridessa instructed her. "And let us see."

Tinkerbell rolled her eyes at them and stomped into a room. _Sheesh. I have a big problem and all they can think about is this Winter Ball. _She rummaged through the dresses and put on the golden ballroom one. She then emerged from the room with a disconcerted look on her face. "Err...tada?"

"Nu-uh," Rosetta and Iridessa cringed.

The next dress modelled was a white winter wedding dress. Rosetta and Iridessa looked away in horror. "Who gave her that!?" they cried and told the tinker to go back into the room. After a few minutes of silence behind the fitting room, Tinkerbell finally stepped out wearing an emerald-green chiffon dress with a gold upper part that covered her chest. She shrugged and tilted her head.

"It's good!" Iridessa geniunely commented.

Rosetta frowned, concentrating. "Now we just need some good shoes for you..." With a single glance, she found the perfect match. "Aha!" She picked out a pair of pale-green flats with crystallic, floral embroidery and handed it to the blonde. "Try them."

Once Tinkerbell put them on, pleasant sighs echoed the shop. She looked up at ehr friends and the shop owner with a crooked brow. "What?"

"Hun, you look like a princess!" Rosetta chirped. "Gotta admit, I'm a little jealous."

"Oh, doesn't she look so adorable!?" Iridessa squealed.

The bell rang. Fawn and Silvermist flew inside the shop, both wearing mini dresses. Fawn's mini dress was orange and V-strapped and matched nicely with brown gladiator sandals. Silvermist had on a baby-blue mini dress along with elegant, high-heeled silver sandals. "Hey, so what do you think?" Fawn asked, twirling herself and Silvermist around.

Rosetta clapped her hands in delight. "Lovely, doll, just LOVELY!"

"I LOVE your shoes!" Iridessa added.

Fawn and Silvermist curtsied and giggled. All of a sudden, a flash of green and gold caught their eye. They looked over the heads of Rosetta and Iridessa and discovered Tinkerbell standing before a mirror. "Wow!" Silvermist gasped. "Tinkerbell, is that you?"

Tinkerbell turned away from the mirror and blinked. "Hm?" she squeaked. "Oh, yeah. Heh. Do you guys like this outfit?" Looking at their approving smiles and nods, all anger was forgotten. _Oh, well. If my friends are this happy, I can't let them down just because of Terence._ She flew over to the shop owner and said, "I'd like to buy these shoes and dress, please." _I still wish he would go with me, though._ After paying, she was quickly pulled out the door by Fawn. "Whoa! Fawn, what are you-"

"The ball starts in a few hours, silly!" Fawn winked. "We've gotta hurry!"

"Oh, y-yeah...!"

The five fairies cheered and flew off towards the pond where the ball was to be held; much excitement awaited them there. Tinkerbell, however, couldn't help but often think back to a certain dust fairy that was to miss this spectacular and long-awaited event.


	14. End

The fairies gathered by the shores of the pond. To their amazement, the decorations surrounding them glowed with brilliant colors of blue, silver, and white; the colors of winter. They whispered and cooed, anticipating the start of the event. A golden glow lit the entire area. From the heavens descended Queen Clarion and the fairy ministers trailing gracefully behind her. She waved her blithe arms just once and golden sparkles fell upon the shores. A wave of cheers coursed through the fairies as they waved back to their Queen. "Queen Clarion!" they chanted. "Queen Clarion!"

"Welcome, everyone," Queen Clarion greeted. Her harp-like voice brought respectful silence to all as she stood before them.

_My, our Queen sure can make an entrance! _The Spring Minister's wings flapped excitedly.

"Tonight is the night of the Winter Ball," Queen Clarion continued. "I hope you all have a wonderful time this evening. And perhaps even be out in the middle of Serenity's Pond under the full moon by the time the first snowflake falls." She winked at the many couples she saw below and laughed softly. "Have a grand dance!" In a flash of golden light, cheers erupted from the audience.

Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, and Silvermist fluttered to the dance floor with their dates, giggling happily. Looking around, they noticed that their green friend was missing. Iridessa looked at Rosetta worriedly. "Oh, no."

Rosetta turned to Cosmo. "Be right back, hun," she told him and searched through the ferns not so far away. In no time at all, she found Tinkerbell seated on a small rock, playing with pebbles. "Tinkerbell?"

Tinkerbell didn't even need to turn around to recognize that southern accent. "I'm not going, Rosetta," she grumbled.

"But you're already here," Rosetta pointed out.

"I'm not going to dance...!" Tinkerbell hugged her knees. "Seriously, why did I even bother coming without Terence? It's so...ugh. I feel like a loser."

"Oh." Rosetta sat down beside the melancholic tinker and sighed. "Honey, don't consider yourself a 'loser'. Even if Terence isn't here, you have us, right?" She smiled as Tinkerbell looked at her. "You can have fun even without him. C'mmon." She stood up and held her hand out. "Let's go have the night of our lives!"

Tinkerbell looked at the red-head's welcoming hand. Smirking, she took it. "Alright."

"Yee-hah!" Rosetta lured her out from the ferns and to the dance floor where she met back with Cosmo.

Tinkerbell looked on longingly as her friends waltzed with their dates, their faces lit with smiles. Her anxious blue eyes scanned the area. _This is a dance floor. Of course everyone here will be dancing. _She sighed and sat down at an empty table, fixing her elegantly curled and bunned hair. Spotting a white lily on her table, she then placed it in her bun, smiling at its complementing effect. Then, there was a tap on her shoulder, quickening her heartbeat in an instant. _Terence? _She turned around with a smile, but it quickly disappeared. Before her stood Stella and Zen, linking arms. "Uh..."

Stella looked at her with disgust and turned to Zen. "But I don't want to do this," she whined. "I can't stand looking at her face."

Zen shot her a glare and chastised, "Well, we HAVE to. We did some pretty awful things to her, Stella. But despite that, she defended you. The least we can do is this." He turned back to Tinkerbell and bowed his head. "...we're..." He waited for Stella to finish- but the next word never came. "Ahem." His elbow nudged her side a bit.

"Oof!" Stella grunted and scoffed. "...sorry," she mumbled inaudibly.

"Stella..."

"SORRY! Sheesh." Stella crossed her arms and looked away. After moment's pause, however, she begrudingly looked back at Tinkerbell and asked, "...d-don't tell any of this to Terence, okay?" Swallowing her pride, she uttered the magic word. "Please."

_Even though her apology was insincere, that request sure was honest. _Tinkerbell nodded. "I won't," she promised.

_That's enough! _Unable to bear the irritating feeling of being near the blonde, Stella turned heels and stormed off, dragging Zen along. "I STILL DON'T LIKE YOU!!"

"Stella!" Zen snapped but was ignored. _Her temper is bad as usual... _

Tinkerbell chuckled and returned to her realm of wandering thoughts. _That's so strange. Why did I expect that to be Terence? I know he is in the hospital with an injured ankle and that it's impossible for him to make to the Winter Ball. _She combed her soft bangs with her fingers, her heart heavy with disappointment. "I was so happy just hoping," she muttered to herself. Just as she was about to put her head down, a hand was held out in front of her. Blinking in curiosity, she followed that hand to an arm, to a shoulder, and finally to a face- only the face was covered by a black and silver masque.

"Would you like to dance?" the mysterious being asked.

From the sound of this fairy's voice, Tinkerbell could easily tell that he was male. He had a lean build and wide shoulders, wearing a white suit and black shoes. His fair hair was slightly ruffled, but not so messy that it was unpleasant to look at. No, it was the kind ruffle that caught every opposite sex's interest. The wings upon his back glowed brightly as he stood there waiting for her answer. _This fairy's aura seems familiar. _"Erm...alright," the tinker replied and placed her hand in his. _His voice and hand, too. _

The mystical, masked fairy began leading his princess into a slow waltz, spinning her gently and smiling.

When Tinkerbell faced him again, she rose an eyebrow. "You're familiar to me," she thought out loud. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

He shrugged. "It all depends on you," he answered her honestly. "After all, if we did meet, it would be in one of your memories."

"It would be in yours, too."

"You're right. But I don't want to reveal my identity just yet."

Tinkerbell twirled once more and grasped his hands. "Why not?" she asked on. "Are you afraid of something?" A smirk pulled at her lips.

The masked fairy shook his head, merely smiling. "No. I'm just wondering whether you can figure it out for yourself or not."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Perhaps..."

"Hm. Your answers are pretty vague."

"Well, maybe it's intentional." He stopped abruptly. "Miss, look around you."

"Eh?" Tinkerbell, for the first time since she and the stranger danced, searched her surroundings. She let out a yelp when she realized that they were no longer on the ground but on water; in the middle of Serenity's Pond. "What...how...how are we staying afloat!? Our wings, we-" She looked down at her shoes and found that there were remains of golden dust beneath them. _Pixie dust! Could it be...? _Her eyes flew upwards. Looking closely, she discovered her partner had deep, sapphire eyes that watched her expectantly. "...Terence?"

The fairy's smile widened. "Are you sure?" he asked, leaning closer.

This time, Tinkerbell was certain that it was the dust keeper. She furtively removed his masque, proving herself right. "I knew it!"

"Aw..." Terence groaned as he received his masque.

"You're so silly," she giggled, hitting him playfully on the chest. "What was with that masque? Goodness, it made you look like a thief!" She remembered his injury and gasped. "Terence, your ankle! How did you-"

Terence placed a finger on her lips. "Nurse Alena is one awesome nurse," he beamed. "She got these herbs and turned it into ointment. After putting some on my ankle, in a matter of minutes, the pain was gone! Poof! Oh." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, royal blue box. "Here."

Tinkerbell carefully took the box into her small hands and opened it. Inside, she found a sterling silver necklace with a red rose pendant. In the center of the rose was a chip of diamond, which sparkled beautifully under the full moon. "Terence," she breathed. "It's...it's so beautiful! Did you make this?"

The dust keeper humbly nodded. "It's not as perfect as the rose we made together," he divulged. "But I hope it's okay." A blush crept up to his cheeks.

"Are you kidding!?" Tinkerbell began tearing up. "This...it's...it's perfect! I love it!"

"Let me put it around your neck for you." Terence took the necklace and surrounded Tinkerbell's body with his arms, reaching for the back of her graceful neck. He hooked the necklace in place and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. "It suits you." _No words can express just how beautiful you look right now, Tink._

Tinkerbell nodded happily, cradling the precious jewel. "Thank you, Terence." They gazed into each other's eyes, knowing in their hearts that this was truly a magical night for them.

Terence, caught up in the moment, began leaning forward, drawn by Tinkerbell's hypnotizing cerulean eyes. _I hope I don't do anything wrong. _He tilted his head a bit, getting ready for his initiating kiss. But at the last moment, he stopped- frozen. _Oh, no. I'm freaking out. What do I do? No, no! _Then, to his surprise, Tinkerbell suddenly tiptoed and caught his lips in a brief kiss. When she pulled away, he stood there, dumbfounded. He looked at her as though asking, "Do you want me to?"

Tinkerbell's reconnaissance remained unwavering. _Show me here, Terence. I won't wait anymore. _She held his hands tightly, licking her lips. _Show me your true feelings. _

"..." Terence cupped Tinkerbell's cheek and drew her into another kiss. This time, it wasn't brief. It was long and passionate, his feelings for her becoming more evident and unquestionable by the second. A small tear fell from the corner of Tinkerbell's right eye as she kissed him back just as lovingly, her heart overwhelmed with joy. Terence felt a cold breeze come from above and instinctively looked up. Tinkerbell did the same. As though some miracle had just occurred, a snowflake floated down from the sky and landed on the water's surface right between them. Looking back at Tinkerbell, Terence averred, "The first snowflake to fall."

Those words brought a smile to Tinkerbell's blushing face as she threw herself at Terence, embracing him tightly and laughing. The masque fell from the chuckling Terence's hand and disappeared into the deep abyss below; there was no need for it anymore.

"Hey, SNOW!" Fawn's voice squealed from the shores. The fairies began fluttering about excitedly, hovering just above the pond's surface. More snowflakes fell, blessing every fairy it touched with its cool, yet comforting magic.

From a lily pad afar, Vidia watched the whole scene unfold before her. _Why do I get this sad feeling every time these big events happen? _A sigh escaped her lips. Feeling a shadow looming over her, she quickly turned around. "...Rick?" she acknowledged with much uncertainty in her voice.

Rick sat down on the lily pad, right next to the lonesome fairy. "Why not go join them?" he asked her.

Vidia scrunched her face and huffed. "Sweetie, those stupid dances are not my thing," she yowled. "I don't need 'social events'. I can get by just fine."

"Really?" Rick looked at her questioningly. "Because if you want, I can go with you."

"...!" Vidia looked at him with a shocked look on her face. _Is he...asking me to be his date? No, this is some sort of trick. Ugh, nice try. _"Humph," she flouted. "As if. Go find some other fairy to pity on. I don't need it..." She hugged her knees and kept her back to him.

Rick simpered, his eyes shifting from Vidia and to the snow-blessed moon above. "I wasn't pitying you, you know." _Perhaps another time; she's not ready. _

Vidia put on a stubborn scowl, her cheeks turning bright red.

* * *

**That's the end of our beloved "I'll Find Your Heart". (^_^) Thank you to all the wonderful readers and reviewers who supported this story and its [busy] author all the way through. I editted this last chapter quite a bit after publishing hehe...some things just weren't good that good I guess xD [Also, if I got any fans from this, THANK YOU!!]**

**I hope you all enjoyed it; Happy New Year!!**


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